Idaho A.G. Urges Consumers to Take Precautions after T-Mobile Breach
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BOISE – Attorney General Lawrence Wasden is urging thousands of Idaho consumers targeted in a recent breach of a third-party server housing T-Mobile data to closely watch their financial statements and consider free credit monitoring services.
Nearly 55,000 Idaho consumers are at risk of having their personal data compromised as a result of unauthorized access to a server operated by Experian that stored personal information of more than 15 million T-Mobile users, Wasden said.
Specifically, the breach impacts consumers who applied for T-Mobile USA contract services – or non-prepaid cellphone contracts – between September 1, 2013 and September 16, 2015. The stolen data includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates, passport numbers and other information used in T-Mobile’s credit assessments.
No payment card or banking information was obtained, and Experian’s consumer credit database was not accessed as part of this data breach, Wasden said.
“The theft of personal information is very serious,” Wasden said. “Identity theft can inflict major damage on personal finances and take significant time, energy and effort to repair.”
In the wake of the data breach, Wasden is urging consumers to:
· Sign up for the free, two-year credit monitoring service being offered by T-Mobile and Experian, the company that operated the server. Consumers can learn more by visiting www.ProtectMyID.com/SecurityIncident or calling Experian toll free at (866) 369-0422. Questions can also be emailed to consumersupport@protectmyid.com.
· Closely monitor individual financial statements for any unusual activity.
· Review and monitor your credit report for inaccuracies. A free credit report can be requested from each of the credit bureaus once each year through www.AnnualCreditReport.com.
Anyone who finds suspicious activity on credit reports or believes they have been victimized by identity theft should take steps to protect themselves, including calling local law enforcement and reviewing the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft resource at www.consumer.gov/theft/
Consumers may also consider placing a fraud alert on their individual credit reports by calling any one of three national consumer reporting agencies. Contacting one of the agencies will lead to an alert being placed on your file at all three agencies.