Two-thirds of the nation's state attorneys general are raising “profound concerns” with Atlanta-based Equifax's outside counsel, not only about the credit bureau's massive data breach but also about how the company has been treating consumers trying to safeguard their personal and financial information.

The letter, dated Friday and signed by 34 state attorneys general, including from Georgia, Florida, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, the District of Columbia and New Jersey questioned not only Equifax's failure to apply a necessary patch to its software but also “confusion and concern” Equifax had generated by requiring consumers to waive their rights in order to safeguard their credit. The letter also chastised Equifax for charges consumers are being asked to pay for security freezes with other credit monitoring companies, such as Experian, TransUnion and Innovis, as well as Equifax's decision to continue to sell its own fee-based credit monitoring service to consumers whose private information has been compromised.

The letter also sought specific changes in the way Equifax is handling worried consumers and asked that Equifax and its lawyers arrange to meet with representatives of their offices.