• Massive identity theft

    From digimaus@CAPCITY2 to All on Tue Aug 20 18:12:19 2024
    (I guess we've all already voted now...)

    From: https://tinyurl.com/mtpj4623 (thegatewaypundit.com)

    National Public Data Admits Hackers Allegedly Stole Social Security Numbers in
    Massive Breach of Nearly ALL Americans

    by Jim Hoft Aug. 19, 2024 11:40 am

    National Public Data (NPD), a Coral Springs, Florida-based company, has
    confirmed that cybercriminals successfully breached its servers, stealing
    the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information of nearly
    EVERY American, the New York Post reported.

    Jerico Pictures Inc., operating as National Public Data, released a
    statement last week acknowledging the massive data breach. The company
    confirmed that the stolen data included names, email addresses, phone
    numbers, Social Security numbers, and mailing addresses.

    The breach, which occurred in late December 2023, is believed to have
    exposed sensitive data through subsequent leaks in April and the summer of
    2024.

    NPD attributed the breach to a "third-party bad actor" and described the
    incident as a "data security incident" in its official statement on its
    website. The company emphasized that it has since conducted an
    investigation into the breach, but the damage has already been done.

    Since August 1, at least eight separate lawsuits have been filed against
    NPD, each alleging negligence and breaches of fiduciary duty. The first of
    these lawsuits was filed by Christopher Hoffman, a California resident,
    who claims that a cybercriminal group known as "USDoD" posted the stolen
    data on the dark web.

    Hoffman's lawsuit, which was first reported by Bloomberg Law, alleges that
    the group made the personal data of 2.9 billion people available for sale
    on the dark web, pricing the database at a staggering $3.5 million. The
    lawsuit further alleges that the hackers obtained data dating back at
    least three decades, including information about relatives and past
    addresses.

    The Gateway Pundit previously reported:

    According to the Times, the information stolen includes possibly every
    Social Security number in America and other sensitive data. News of the
    hack was discovered in a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the
    Southern District of Florida.

    USDoD previously put the personal data up for sale for $3.5
    million according to the complaint.

    Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. Public
    Information Research Group told the LA Times in an interview that if
    USDoD is telling the truth, this hack is much more severe than previous
    ones affecting Americans.

    "If this in fact is pretty much the whole dossier on all of us, it
    certainly is much more concerning," Murray said. "And if people weren't
    taking precautions in the past, which they should have been doing, this
    should be a five-alarm wake-up call for them."

    In response to the breach, NPD has urged affected individuals to closely
    monitor their financial accounts and report any unauthorized activity to
    their financial institutions immediately. The company also recommends that
    Social Security number holders contact the three major credit reporting
    agencies-Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion-to obtain a free credit report
    and place a fraud alert on their file.

    According to NPD:

    We strongly advise you to take preventive measures to help prevent and
    detect any misuse of your information. As a first step, we recommend
    that you closely monitor your financial accounts and if you see any
    unauthorized activity, you should promptly contact your financial
    institution.

    As a second step, you may want to contact the three U.S. credit
    reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to obtain a free
    credit report from each by calling 1.877.322.8228 or by logging onto
    www.annualcreditreport.com. It is also recommended that you place a free
    fraud alert on your credit file. A fraud alert tells creditors to
    contact you before they open any new accounts or change your existing
    accounts.

    Contact any one of the three major credit bureaus. As soon as one credit
    bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud
    alerts. The initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for one
    year. You can renew it after one year.

    Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services or 1-800-685-1111

    Experian: experian.com/help or 1-888-397-3742

    TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-help or 1-888-909-8872

    Ask each credit bureau to send you a free credit report after it places
    a fraud alert on your file. Review your credit reports for accounts and
    inquiries you do not recognize.

    These can be signs of identity theft. If your personal information has
    been misused, visit the FTCs site at IdentityTheft.gov to report the
    identity theft and get recovery steps.

    Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit
    reports, it is recommended that you check your credit reports
    periodically so you can spot problems and address them quickly. You may
    also want to consider placing a free credit freeze.

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    A credit freeze means potential creditors cannot get your credit report.
    That makes it less likely that an identity thief can open new accounts
    in your name. To place a freeze, contact each of the major credit
    bureaus at the links or phone numbers above.

    A freeze remains in place until you ask the credit bureau to temporarily
    lift it or remove it.
    ===

    -- Sean

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