T-Mobile Breach

On August 17th, T-Mobile learned that a hacker or group of hackers illegally accessed the personal information of T-Mobile’s current, former, and prospective customers. They learned of the hack when the hacker(s) were attempting to sell the stolen data on an online forum. The information stolen included first and last names, birth dates, SSNs, and driver’s license information. T-Mobile did specify that no personal financial or payment information, credit or debit card information, account numbers, or account passwords were accessed.

T-Mobile is currently investigating the incident, but they have released steps customers can take to further protect themselves.

  • Protect Your Identity with McAfee: T-Mobile customers can sign up for McAfee ID Theft Protection free for two years.
  • Activate Scam Shield: Tap into T-Mobile’s advanced scam-blocking protection and use anti-scam features such as Scam ID, Scam Block, and Caller ID – free for customers.
  • Further Protect Your T-Mobile Account: T-Mobile customers can use the free Account Takeover Protection service to help protect against unauthorized users fraudulently porting out and stealing cell phone numbers.

Additional steps to take if your account was compromised include:

  • Change Your Password: Go ahead and change your password on your T-Mobile account and anywhere you may have reused that username and password combination.
  • Freeze Your Credit: Social Security numbers were confirmed to be compromised in the attack, so take additional steps to lock your account by freezing your credit report.
  • Protect Against SIM-Swapping: Decrease your chances of someone gaining access and taking over your phone number by adding a PIN code and password to your wireless account.

    • 53 million customers were compromised in the breach, and the wireless carrier is now up against two class-action suits. Both lawsuits accuse T-Mobile of violating the California Consumer Privacy Act and the Washington State Consumer Protection Act. We will continue to update the ongoing story on our blog.