2 Million Washingtonians Impacted By T-Mobile Data Breach

OLYMPIA, WA — The Washington Attorney Genera’s Office is warning Washingtonians to protect their data, after a large cache of stolen personal data was discovered for sale on the “dark web.”

Back in August, hackers stole the data of more than 50 million current, former and prospective T-Mobile customers. Included in that theft was sensitive data of 2 million Washingtonians, including their names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and even driver’s license information.

The Attorney General’s Office says a large chunk of that info was recently found for sale on the “dark web” — a hidden corner of the internet normally inaccessible to regular users, which criminals use to buy and sell personal information — so Attorney General Bob Ferguson has issued a consumer alert, warning Washingtonians to protect their personal information.

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Similar alerts have been issued by Attorneys General in New York and New Jersey.

Most of the impacted customers should have received a warning from identity theft protection services telling them their information was compromised in the breach, but if you believe your data was stolen, Ferguson’s Office says to take the following steps to protect yourself:

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  • Monitor your credit. Credit-monitoring services track your credit report and alert you whenever a change is made, such as a new account or a large purchase. Most services will notify you within 24 hours of any change to your credit report.
  • Consider placing a free credit freeze on your credit report. Identity thieves will not be able to open a new credit account in your name while the freeze is in place. You can place a credit freeze by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus:
  • Place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells lenders and creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before issuing credit. You can place a fraud alert by contacting any one of the three major credit bureaus.
  • Additional Resources. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, go to identitytheft.gov for assistance on how to report it and recover from it. Consumers can also contact [email protected].

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Source: Bellevue Patch