A new warning was issued on Wednesday for T-Mobile data breach victims of potential identity theft risks. New York State Attorney General Letitia James warned victims affected by an August 2021 breach that their private details might be circulating for sale on the dark web.
Last year in August 2021, T-Mobile reported a data breach that ended up compromising the private details of millions of T-Mobile users, including former clients and prospective buyers.
Of the 53 million persons impacted by the data breach, more than 4 million were New Yorker residents who had their names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license details were exposed, according to the press release issued by the Attorney General's office.
Additionally, the attackers stole technical data — including international mobile equipment identities (IMEIs) and international mobile subscriber identities. IMEIs, which are often used for advertising purposes, are a unique fingerprint for a device that cannot be reset.
“Recently, a large subset of the information compromised in the breach was discovered for sale on the dark web — a hidden portion of the Internet where cybercriminals buy, sell, and track personal information,” the warning reads.
“Many individuals received alerts through various identity theft protection services informing them that their information was found online in connection with the breach, confirming that impacted individuals are at heightened risk for identity theft.” Officials from California, Florida, and several other states issued similar warnings.
The state attorneys general noted that identity protection services already have alerted concerned individuals that their private details had been found online. Cybercrime forums have been under increased pressure by state, federal, and international law enforcement agencies, but the buying and selling of people’s personal data is still an increasingly active criminal act.
Citizens who believe they were affected by the data breach are suggested to take the appropriate steps to protect their information from identity theft. This includes checking credit reports; considering contacting the Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit bureaus to place a free credit freeze on personal credit reports; and requesting credit reporting services to provide fraud warnings.
