T-MOBILE BREACH – What You Can Do to Protect Yourself

You probably have heard about the most recent T-Mobile data breach in the press. Some estimates have as many as 40 million consumers affected by the breach while others claim as many as 100 million customers affected by it. This is the third data breach on T-Mobile since December 2020

Data that was exposed included customers’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, addresses, phone numbers and IMEI’s and IMSI’s. IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) and IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) can be used to track your mobile device or in SIM swapping. Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers can be use for fraudulent applications for loans, credit cards or bank accounts in your name.

T-Mobile customers, past, present, and potential (if you have applied for a T-Mobile account) should pay attention to this breach and take action to protect yourself. Here are some suggestions:

·         Freeze your credit. A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report to your existing creditors which helps prevent new lines of credit from being opened in your name.

·         Change your passwords and PIN numbers for your T-Mobile account. Make sure that you are NOT using the same passwords and PINs across multiple accounts.

·         Use multi-factor authentication (MFA or 2FA) on your accounts. With MFA, often you receive a text message with a code that you input when you are logging into your account. While considered an improvement in security, MFA with a text is not secure. For example, someone who has conducted a SIM swap, has access to your text messages. A better solution is to use a free authenticator app, like you can acquire from Microsoft and Google, which are more secure.

·         Monitor your financial accounts for fraudulent activity.

·         Be alert for breach notifications. Take actions as necessary recommended in those notifications.

·         Be alert for phishing emails that may be designed to look like they are from your provider that has been breached.

 

 

The Seattle Times:

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/t-mobile-says-hackers-stole-data-of-more-than-40-million-people/

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/heres-what-to-do-if-you-think-youre-affected-by-t-mobiles-big-data-breach/

 

Krebs on Security:

https://krebsonsecurity.com/2021/08/t-mobile-investigating-claims-of-massive-data-breach/

 

Identity Theft Resource Center:

https://www.idtheftcenter.org/t-mobile-data-breach-what-steps-to-take-now/

https://www.idtheftcenter.org/the-weekly-breach-breakdown-podcast-facts-are-stubborn-but-statistics-are-pliable-t-mobile-data-compromise-impacts-millions/

https://helpcenter.idtheftcenter.org/s/article/Place-a-Credit-Freeze

 

T-Mobile:

https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/data-breach-2021?icid=MGPO_TMO_P_21DTASECRT_8SZBD38SJT3BHWAY26101

 

 

 

WASHINGTON STATE AUDITOR’S OFFICE – Security Breach

You may have seen the news that broke yesterday about the security breach involving a contractor doing work for the Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO). Some of the compromised data files may have contained personal information of Washington state residents who filed unemployment insurance claims in 2020.

For the latest details, check the links below.

If you think that your personal information might have been involved in this breach, the SAO considering the following actions,

·         Consider obtaining a free copy of your credit report.

·         Consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report.

·         Consider place a credit freeze on your credit file.

 

 

Office of the Washington State Auditor:

https://sao.wa.gov/breach2021/

 

The Herald:

https://www.heraldnet.com/northwest/data-breach-compromised-info-of-1-6m-who-sought-unemployment/

 

The Seattle times:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/personal-data-of-1-6-million-washington-unemployment-claimants-exposed-in-hack-of-state-auditor/

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/

https://www.identitytheft.gov/

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft

 

DATA BREACH UPDATE- News About 2 Recent Data Breaches

Equifax Breach. You probably have heard about the settlement between the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Equifax coming out of the September 2017 data breach at Equifax. Recently, the FTC announced that anyone wanting to make a claim should go to www.ftc.gov/Equifax. It also sent out a warning that that it has already seen scammers trying to divert you to their fake settlement web sites to steal your money. It encourages you to check that the web address that you are going to is www.ftc.gov/Equifax.  It also pointed out that you do not have to pay to file a claim and anyone who calls you trying to get you to file a claim is probably a scammer.

In another press release, the FTC recommended that people affected by the Equifax breach sign up for free credit monitoring as part of the settlement. Since the announcement of the settlement, the FTC says there has been very high interest by the public to the point that individuals may not received the expected $125 per claim.


Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/equifax-data-breach-beware-fake-settlement-websites

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2019/07/ftc-encourages-consumers-opt-free-credit-monitoring-part-equifax

https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/cases-proceedings/refunds/equifax-data-breach-settlement





Capital One Breach. You no doubt have heard about the Capital One breach that has affected 106 American and Canadian consumers. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) recommends that you take proactive action to prevent becoming victimized by identity thieves. It recommends that you freeze your credit and keep checking your financial statements regularly. Also, be aware of scammers. They frequently take advantage of big news items like breaches to offer supposed help. All they want is to take your money or your personal information. While Capital One says that it will be notifying accounts that have been affected, it will not be doing notifications by phone. Finally, document your steps in pursuing your claim. This will help you with your claim.



Identity Theft Resource Center:
https://www.idtheftcenter.org/capital-one-data-breach-what-to-do-if-youre-impacted/#utm_source=web&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=07302019_CapitalOneBreach

The Seattle Times:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/how-to-protect-yourself-after-the-capital-one-data-breach/

Better Business Bureau:
https://www.bbb.org/databreach/


Federal Trade Commission:

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2019/07/capital-one-data-breach-time-check-your-credit-report

Krebs on Security:
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/07/capital-one-data-theft-impacts-106m-people/

EQUIFAX DATA BREACH- What You Should Do

You probably have heard about the data breach at Equifax. In case you have missed it, here is a quick summary.

Last week, Equifax announced that someone had hacked into its servers and stole people’s names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and some driver’s license numbers. They also stole credit card numbers for about 209,000 people and dispute documents with personal information for about 182,000. Equifax estimates that a total of 143 million Americans were affected by this breach.

Equifax is one of the three credit reporting agencies that sell information to lenders and credit-scoring companies to determine consumer’s eligibility for loans, lines of credit, and other functions such as employment. The other credit agencies are Experian and TransUnion. The danger of this breach is that hackers, scammers, and fraudsters worldwide can use your personal information for purchases, to take out loans in your name, file for Income Tax refunds in your name, etc.

While the breach and how Equifax has handled the breach has caused controversy in the press and in Congress, there are actions that you should take that will help to protect yourself. This breach is serious enough that the Washington State Attorney General issued recommendations for actions Washington consumers should take:

·         Find out of your information was compromised. Equifax has set up a website, https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com, to allow consumers to research if they have been affected. There have been several stories in the press questioning the reliability of this website, however.

·         Consider placing a credit freeze with each of the credit agencies. A credit freeze makes it more difficult for someone to open an account in your name. If you will be applying for new credit, or applying for something that requires checking your credit such as buying a new car, renting an apartment or applying for a new job, you should temporarily lift the freeze to allow the financial institution to check your credit.

·         Check your credit reports from the three major credit reporting agencies by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com.

·         Regularly review your bank statements, credit card statements and other account statements for suspicious charges. Remember, fraudsters often make small chargers to accounts to see if the accounts are being watched. Report any suspicious transactions immediately to your bank or credit card company.

·         If you believe that there has been unauthorized activity on your accounts or that you have become a victim of identity theft, take the following actions:

o  Report identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at   www.identitytheft.gov

o  Place a credit freeze on your credit files.

o  File a police report and send a copy to the three major credit reporting agencies

In addition to the actions above, the AARP Fraud Watch Network suggests,

·         Adding a fraud alert to your credit report. A fraud alert tells lenders and creditors who check your credit report to take additional steps to verify your identification before extending credit in your name.

·         Consider hiring an identity theft protection service.

Taking actions to protect your identity from a breach can seem complicated and time consuming. Here are some up to date resources that will help you.

Washington State Attorney General:

http://mailchi.mp/atg/consumer-alert-advice-on-how-to-cope-with-equifax-data-breach?e=5cc1607c21

AARP Fraud Watch Network:

http://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2017/equifax-cyber-attack-data-breach-fd.html

Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

Here is an explanation about Identity Theft Protection Services-

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0235-identity-theft-protection-services

This link explains the difference between fraud alerts and credit freezes-

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/business-blog/2017/09/fraud-alerts-vs-credit-freezes-ftc-faqs

And an alert from the FTC, no, Equifax is not calling you-

https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2017/09/equifax-isnt-calling?utm_campaign=%2B%20Money%20and%20Shopping&utm_content=60318618&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter