T-Mobile is now facing two class action lawsuits filed by upset customers after an investigation found that more than 5.3 million people have had their personal information stolen in a data breach.
According to a Business Insider report, both lawsuits accused T-Mobile of violating the California Consumer Privacy Act after a breach saw the details of millions of customers and former customers stolen in a cyber attack. The breach has impacted more than 50 million people in total and involved information such as phone numbers, social security numbers, and license details.
Neglect Alleged
T-Mobile recently announced that a huge number of people had been impacted by a data breach. The company has discovered that another 5.3 million current customers and 667,000 former customers also had their information stolen in this cyber attack. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiffs and the class action members say their identities are at risk because of neglect on the part of the company. Plaintiffs also say they are concerned with the monetary costs and the time countering the effects of the data breach, including time spent dealing with actual or attempted fraud and identity theft.
The information stolen in this data breach includes names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, social security numbers, and driver’s license information. T-Mobile says the information stolen from the additional customers did not include social security numbers or driver’s license information. T-Mobile reset the PINs associated with these accounts and offers additional protection, such as McAfee’s ID Theft Protection Service, for all customers.
T-Mobile became aware of the data breach after hackers posted in an underground forum. The seller of the information is asking for six bitcoins, worth about $297,279, for 30 million social security numbers and driver’s licenses, according to Vice’s Motherboard. The seller is also privately offering the rest of the breached information.
Protecting Yourself After a Data Breach
There are several steps you can take to protect yourself as a consumer if your information has been compromised in a data breach:
- Close the compromised account as soon as possible. This will help cut off any potential access to your account.
- Check your credit reports. Look for accounts you don’t recognize or for suspicious activity. You are entitled to a free annual report from the three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
- Watch out for scammers since a data breach does make you more vulnerable to phishing and other scams.
If you have been the victim of a data breach, contact an experienced California class action lawyer to obtain more information about pursuing your legal rights.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/customers-are-suing-t-mobile-as-breach-reaches-53-million-2021-8
