What to Do If You're Concerned About the T-Mobile Data Breach

[NurseJackie]

https://www.consumerreports.org/data-theft/t-mobile-data-breach-what-to-do-a7157173229/

What to Do If You're Concerned About the T-Mobile Data Breach

Exposed data includes driver's license info and Social Security numbers. Some simple steps can protect your sensitive information.



Cell phone carrier T-Mobile has rolled out new tools, including free identity protection services, to help customers affected by a large data breach. According to T-Mobile, criminals acquired the personal data of nearly 50 million consumers.

T-Mobile says preliminary analysis of the breach indicates that the stolen files contained account information from approximately 850,000 T-Mobile prepaid customers and 7.8 million regular monthly customers as well as more than 40 million records related to former or prospective customers who had applied for credit with T-Mobile, a company spokesperson said an e-mail to Consumer Reports.

For the prepaid customers, the exposed data included names, phone numbers, and account PINs, the company said. T-Mobile has proactively reset the PINs on those accounts. (No Metro by T-Mobile, former Sprint prepaid, or Boost customers had that info revealed.)

The stolen data on other T-Mobile included their first and last names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license/ID information. However, their phone numbers, account numbers, PINs, passwords, and financial information were not compromised, the company said.

The vulnerability that let criminals gain access to the data has been fixed, according to T-Mobile.

Earlier reporting put the number of affected accounts at 100 million, with the tech site Motherboard reporting that criminals claimed to have accessed and copied data including Social Security numbers and other sensitive data such as the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers that serve as a phone’s digital fingerprint.