Published: August 19, 2021 on our newsletter Security Fraud News & Alerts Newsletter.
T-Mobile announced on Tuesday (8/17/2021), a breach exposed the information of about 7.8 million current and 40 million former and prospective customers to the hackers. The U.S. telecommunications company, which has more than 100 million customers nationwide, said it was working with law enforcement and had hired top cybersecurity experts to assist in its effort to investigate the hack.
“We take our customers’ protection very seriously and we will continue to work around the clock on this forensic investigation to ensure we are taking care of our customers in light of this malicious attack,” the company said in a statement.
Claims made in an online forum last week prompted T-Mobile to begin an investigation into a possible attack on its system. The company was able to identify and close the “access point” the hackers are believed to have illegally entered.
While the investigation is still ongoing, T-Mobile said hackers were unable to access customers’ financial information like credit and debit card data, according to the announcement. But in addition to Social Security Numbers and driver’s license information, hackers stole customers’ full names and dates of birth.
Having your social security number stolen is no small thing as it can lead to serious credit damage and financial debt. One of the best ways to help ensure that neither happens in the first place is to protect it as much as you can. Many may be considering putting a freeze on their credit reports and that is a great idea. However, it's a good idea to be sure to know what that means before taking that action. A credit freeze will protect your SSN from being used by a criminal, just remember to unfreeze it when opening a new line of credit.
T-Mobile plans to notify the tens of millions of customers whose information hackers obtained in the coming days. The company will offer a free two-year theft protection service to affected customers.
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