Experian says 15M have info stolen in hack of T-Mobile data
Source: AP-Excite
By TALI ARBEL and JOSEPH PISANI
NEW YORK (AP) Hackers have stolen personal information belonging to about 15 million T-Mobile wireless customers and potential customers in the U.S., including Social Security numbers, home addresses, birthdates and other personal information.
In the latest high-profile breach, the hackers got the information from credit reporting agency Experian, which T-Mobile uses to check the credit of consumers applying for phone plans and financing for devices. Experian said T-Mobile customers who applied between Sept. 1, 2013 and Sept. 16, 2015 may have had their information stolen.
Experian said it immediately notified law enforcement authorities after discovering the hack and that "there is no evidence to date that the data has been used inappropriately."
T-Mobile customers can sign up for two free years of credit monitoring services at www.protectmyID.com/securityincident , a service owned by Experian.
FULL story at link.
FILE - In this Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, a man uses a cellphone as he passes a T-Mobile store in New York. Credit reporting agency Experian on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015 said that hackers accessed the social security numbers, birthdates and other personal information belonging to about 15 million T-Mobile wireless customers. T-Mobile uses Experian to check the credit of its customers. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20151001/us--experian-t-mobile-data_breach-659c1416bf.html
Zorra
(27,670 posts)And I really wish it was not legal to do that.
enlightenment
(8,830 posts)would start seriously wondering why having private, for-profit companies running - and ruining - the lives of millions is a good thing.
At the very least, there should be serious limits put on their role in society, because at this point, they own us all.
area51
(11,897 posts)tomm2thumbs
(13,297 posts)http://finance.yahoo.com/news/t-mobile-says-data-breach-experian-unit-may-003730590--finance.html
The company offered two years of credit monitoring to all affected individuals. People, however, said that they did not want credit protection from a company that had been breached. T-Mobile Chief Executive John Legere responded by promising to seek alternatives.
"I hear you," he said on Twitter. "I am moving as fast as possible to get an alternate option in place by tomorrow."
Experian's 2-year 'protection' option
http://www.protectmyid.com/default.aspx?sc=678628
* more info on the breach (according to the breach-ee) if you trust their version of events
http://www.experian.com/data-breach/t-mobilefacts.html
Sam_Fields
(305 posts)IMHO.
Sam_Fields
(305 posts)When I first had my identity stolen 23 years ago this wasn't an option. In some States it's free if you have a police report of ID theft other wise it can be up to $10 to freeze your credit reports.
SoapBox
(18,791 posts)Live and Learn
(12,769 posts)I think some big lawsuits need to happen.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Just what I need.
Thanks Experian.
pothos
(154 posts)why i have a burner phone not tied to my name, that i refill with phone cards i pay for with cash.
trillion
(1,859 posts)just like every other giant who got hacked has.
Experian has EVERYBODYS personal info. The3 large companies - Equifax, Experian, Trans Union - overlap and each of them cover all of america. Got that? Credit companies, apartment complexes, mortgage companies, appliance dealers etc, filp a coin on which one they will use and so you will be listed on all three of them. Every one who is an adult in America and doesn't live in a cave has just been hacked.
trillion
(1,859 posts)be every month as it exponentiates and they keep telling you it's actually more - which it will like every other company that has been hacked so far. Or do you want to believe hackers got on Experian and filtered out tmobile customers and only took their info. BS. I'm a systems engineer. Everyone has been hacked.
Taitertots
(7,745 posts)For being negligent with the data they receive.