FBI to Celebrity Hacking Victims -- Lock Down Your Bank Accounts

1:00 PM PT Equifax -- a credit reporting agency used by the hackers to access celeb info -- has released a statement acknowledging a security breach, saying, "Equifax can confirm that fraudulent and unauthorized access to four [celebrity] consumer credit reports has occurred.”

The FBI is warning celebrity hacking victims to put safeguards on their bank accounts NOW ... before the hackers rob them blind ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to several of the targeted celebs -- which include Mel Gibson, Hulk Hogan, Kim Kardashian, and Beyonce -- tell us FBI agents have advised them to contact their financial institutions to slap fraud alerts on their accounts immediately.

We're told the fraud alert ensures the bank will contact the account holder anytime someone accesses the funds. The celebs are then expected to immediately contact the FBI.