AG Racine Advises District Consumers to Consider Credit Freezes in Wake of Experian/T-Mobile Data Breach

Personal Information of as Many as 15 Million Consumers Exposed Nationwide

Washington, DC – In response to a data breach that exposed the personal information of as many as 15 million consumers nationwide who applied for T-Mobile credit services, Attorney General Karl A. Racine today said those who are affected should take advantage of the opportunity to place fraud alerts or credit freezes on their credit files as a precautionary measure.

Experian is providing affected T-Mobile applicants with two years of free credit monitoring and identity resolution services through its ProtectMyID affiliate. This will provide customers with a credit report from Experian, credit monitoring from all three nationwide credit-reporting agencies, access to fraud-resolution agents, and more.

Consumers affected by this incident can obtain more information or enroll in these services by:

An unauthorized party gained access to T-Mobile data stored on an Experian server, affecting consumers who applied for T-Mobile postpaid services between September 1, 2013 and September 16, 2015.  Consumers’ names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and other identification numbers (such as driver’s license numbers or military ID numbers) were among the information exposed in the breach.

More information on the Experian/T-Mobile breach can be found at http://www.experian.com/securityupdate/ and at http://www.t-mobile.com/landing/experian-data-breach-faq.html.

“Protecting your identity and your credit requires vigilance, but it is extremely important,” Attorney General Racine said. “For those affected by this breach and others, applying for a free credit freeze is the best policy – but all consumers should take steps to monitor their financial statements and credit reports.”

For those who believe their personal information might have been exposed in any data-breach incident, there are several resources available online:

  • Freeze your credit: A credit freeze or security freeze allows consumers to limit access to their credit report, making it more difficult for would-be for identity thieves to use your name to open new accounts. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers a helpful Frequently Asked Questions page about whether and how to freeze your credit at http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0497-credit-freeze-faqs.
  • Place a fraud alert on your banking and credit accounts:For those who would rather stop short of a credit freeze, you can place a 90-day fraud alert on your accounts – making it more difficult for would-be criminals to open new accounts in your name. FTC information on fraud alerts is available at http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert.
  • Review your credit report periodically: Whether or not you believe your personal information may have been exposed in an incident such as the T-Mobile/Experian breach, it is a good idea for all consumers to review their credit reports on a regular basis. Federal law allows you to get a free copy of your report once a year from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus. Go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.
  • If you find an account on your credit report you don’t remember opening: If you don’t recognize an account that appears on your report, it could be an incident of identity theft. For more information on identity theft, please visit the FTC’s resources page on identity theft at http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft.