T-Mobile - the cellar service provider - has confirmed that hackers stole sensitive personal data of more than 40 million former and prospective customers (those who gave the company personal information to run credit check) during a data breach on August 16th. An additional 7.8 million current T-mobile customer accounts were also hacked. The stolen data included information such as Social Security numbers, driver’s license information, birth dates and more.
The company stated that phone numbers and financial information, such as bank account numbers and credit card numbers were not included in the hack.
Protecting Yourself After a Data Breach
Although T-Mobile claims payment information wasn’t obtained during the breach, it is in the best interest of customers to assume their information is out there. When personal information falls into the hands of criminals, identity theft and fraud quickly become a major problem that is difficult to counter. Acting quickly can save you a lot of grief down the road.
Steps To Take:
Freeze your credit
Freezing your accounts is one of the most important steps you can take if you believe your data may be compromised. Freezing your credit blocks lenders from being able to review your credit report to approve a new line of credit. That means you won’t see any surprise credit cards or loans taken out in your name.
To freeze your credit, you need to contact each of the major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion - directly. The bureaus will require information to verify your identity, such as SSN, a copy of your photo ID and proof of residence to approve the freeze. Some bureaus assign a PIN that is required to unfreeze your credit report.
It will not cost you anything to freeze your credit report and doing so will not affect your credit score. A freeze can be temporarily or permanently lifted at any time.
Check Your Credit Report
Even if you freeze your credit report, it is a good idea to request copies of your reports from each bureaus to check if any fraudulent activity has occurred. Due to the pandemic, all three bureaus are granting free access to credit reports weekly through April 2022 at www.annualcreditreport.com This site works directly with the three bureaus to allow customers to pull their reports via a simple web portal.
Your reports show a detailed history of your payments and balances for various credit products, including credit cards, mortgages, cars, personal and student loans. The reports will not show your credit score.
When reviewing your reports, you may find fraudulent or inaccurate information. In that case, you want to work with the bureaus to dispute the information and have it removed. If you believe that you are a victim of fraud or identity theft, you may also want to report it to the Federal Trade Commission at identitytheft.gov
Monitor Your Bank Accounts
T-Mobile states that credit and debit card information isn’t included in the data breach, but it is important to keep a close eye on your bank accounts for suspicious activity. If you see charges that you haven’t made, call your bank immediately to report the fraud.
If you are still having trouble with disputing information and you are a victim or fraud or identity theft, let us know and we can help!