source: cnet.com (contributed by FAN, Steve Page) | image: pexels.com
Check if your Social Security number was stolen in the massive data theft and what to do to secure your personal information.
If your Social Security number or other personal information was stolen in the December 2023 National Public Data breach, you can take steps to protect yourself. Here’s how. A reported 2.7 millionto 2.9 billion records from 170 million people were stolen, including full names and phone numbers along with Social Security numbers.
According to an August statement from National Public Data — a data broker that sells personal information to private investigators, consumer public record sites, human resources and staffing agencies — “a third-party bad actor” hacked into the data and leaked the stolen information on the dark web. National Public Data obtained the information by scraping nonpublic sources without consent, according to a proposed class action lawsuit. A House of Representatives committee has opened an investigation in response.
Here are steps you can take to see if your information was stolen and then what to do if your Social Security number and other personal data were leaked in the massive data hack. For more information, here are the best identity theft protection services and how to freeze your credit. For more on Social Security, here’s when to expect your Social Security check to arrive this month and four ways you can lose your Social Security benefits.
How was my personal information stolen in the National Public Data hack?
National Public Data said it obtains personal information from public record databases, court records, state and national databases and other repositories nationwide.
According to a National Public Data statement in August, “The incident is believed to have involved a third-party bad actor that was trying to hack into data in late December 2023, with potential leaks of certain data in April 2024 and summer 2024.” Continue reading “Was YOUR SSN Included In This Hack?” →