Dark Web News
Is your PII now on the Dark Web? Mine was…
Credit: krebsonsecurity.com
If you have not heard, National Public Data (NPD), a consumer data broker that conducts background investigations, had a breach of data that included SSN, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses, and phone numbers for hundreds of millions of Americans.
There are now several websites that have stepped up to help people learn if their SSN and other data were exposed in this breach. One is npdbreach.com, a lookup page erected by Atlas Data Privacy Corp.
The best advice for those concerned about this breach is to freeze one’s credit file at each of the major consumer reporting bureaus. Having a freeze on your files makes it much harder for identity thieves to create new accounts in your name, and it limits who can view your credit information.
A freeze is a good idea because all of the information that ID thieves need to assume your identity is now broadly available from multiple sources thanks to the multiplicity of data breaches we’ve seen involving SSN data and other key static data points about people.
There are numerous cybercriminal services that offer detailed background checks on consumers, including full SSNs. These services are powered by compromised accounts at data brokers that cater to private investigators and law enforcement officials, and some are now fully automated via Telegram instant message bots.
If you’re an American who hasn’t frozen their credit files and you haven’t yet experienced some form of new account fraud, the ID thieves probably just haven’t gotten around to you yet.
All Americans are also entitled to obtain a free copy of their credit report weekly from each of the three major credit bureaus. Previously, consumers were allowed one free report from each of the bureaus annually, but in October 2023 the Federal Trade Commission announced the bureaus had permanently extended a program that lets you check your credit report once a week for free.
If you haven’t done this in a while, now would be an excellent time to order your report. To place a freeze, you will need to create an account at each of the three major reporting bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Once you’ve established an account, you should be able to then view and freeze your credit file. If you spot errors such as random addresses and phone numbers you don’t recognize, do not ignore them. Dispute any inaccuracies you may find.
I would also recommend placing a freeze on your information with ChexSystems. This freeze will help prevent bad actors from opening checking or savings accounts using your identity. Bad actors could open new bank accounts and use them to shuffle funds around to evade law enforcement. You do not want to have accounts in your name associated with that type of activity.
For your convenience, I am including links below that go directly to the freeze instructions for each of the organizations listed above.