T-Mobile Breach Leads to the Exposure of Employee Email Accounts and User Data
On Thursday, March 4, 2020, T-Mobile disclosed a breach that impacted employees and customers. T-Mobile posted two separate data breach notification letters on their website. The first states that there was a malicious attack against their email vendor that led to unauthorized access to certain T-Mobile employee accounts, some of which contained account information for T-Mobile customers and employees. The second breach notification letter also states there was a malicious attack against their email vendor. However, it says personal information like names, addresses, Social Security numbers, financial account information, government identification numbers, phone numbers and billing account information could have been exposed for some customers and employees.
The U.S. telco is sending out SMS notifications to all impacted users about the T-Mobile breach. Users who just had account data exposed are getting different notifications than those who had sensitive data exposed.
It is not yet known how many employees and customers were affected by the T-Mobile breach. However, the company is recommending to customers that they change their PIN numbers on their T-Mobile accounts. T-Mobile is also offering free credit monitoring and identity theft detective services that are being provided by TransUnion, for those that had sensitive information exposed. Those that have the option to have monitoring will receive a separate letter with details.
In the notification letters, T-Mobile has emphasized how seriously they take the security of every customer and employee, and that they are working to further enhance their security to stay ahead of this type of activity.
While there is nothing you can do to prevent yourself from falling victim to a data breach, there are things you can do to reduce your risk.
- Be alert for phishing emails by a scammer that acts like they know who you are or that they are a company you do business with. Only respond to emails if you know the recipient or are expecting the email.
- Keep an eye out for suspicious activity. You can do that by regularly reviewing and monitoring your accounts and credit history for any unauthorized transactions.
- If you believe you have fallen victim to identity theft, file a police report. You can also contact the Federal Trade Commission or the State Attorney General to learn more about the proper steps to take.
If you believe your information was exposed as part of the T-Mobile breach, the Identity Theft Resource Center urges you to call us toll-free at 888.400.5530 to speak with an expert advisor who can help you create an action plan and tell you who to contact and what to say. You can also live chat with an advisor.
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