T-Mobile Data Breach
Personal data belonging to more than 50 million T-Mobile customers was stolen in a breach announced this week. We’re committed to protecting our members’ information. The incident is a good reminder for members to proactively secure their identity and accounts.
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What Happened
T-Mobile announced a data breach this week that exposed the critical personal information of now over 50 million of its customers. They're still investigating the incident, but the company confirmed that victims include previous and prospective customers who applied for credit, and current customers with contracts. T-Mobile posted a response page where they're providing updated information related to the incident.
The company has already reset PINs on the affected accounts, and will immediately notify those customers. They're also offering two years of free credit protection to compromised customers, and encouraging all postpaid customers to change their account PINs.
The stolen data, which includes Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, birth dates and first and last names, gives criminals what they need to steal the identities of those who are affected. Like other breaches we've seen, this incident increases the chances that victims will be targeted with ongoing security threats and attacks that can lead to financial harm.
Our Commitment to Protect You
We're aware that many of our members are among those affected by this announcement. BECU is dedicated to protecting our members' sensitive personal information. We continually monitor accounts for suspicious and unauthorized activity. If you're a victim of this breach, it's important that you take immediate steps to safeguard your accounts and sensitive personal information because you could become a target for fraud and identity theft as a result of this incident.
We encourage all our members to be proactive with their own account security. Read more below to learn what you can do to protect yourself from ongoing potential threats.
Ways to Protect Yourself
The following are important steps you can take to secure your accounts, personal information and identity:
- Monitor your accounts at all your financial institutions for fraudulent activity, such as new loans.
- Regularly review your credit report, at no cost, and without impact to your credit score.
- Sign up for alerts for your BECU accounts and credit cards so you can monitor debit and credit transactions.
- Protect your account in Online Banking. Take a moment to update your online account security options and add a code word for increased protection.
- Consider applying a credit freeze with all three credit reporting agencies. Learn more in these Federal Trade Commission credit freeze FAQs.
- Stay informed: T-Mobile is keeping customers up-to-date on their response page. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) website provides information about current threats to consumers.
- Be aware: Criminals often use breaking news stories as opportunities to stage attacks. Verify phone calls, do not give out personal or financial information and watch out for phishing phone calls, emails and SMS text messages.
What To Do if You're Targeted
- Report suspected fraud and identity theft to law enforcement, the state attorney general and the FTC.
- If it happens online, report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
- If you have additional questions or concerns about your account security, please contact a BECU representative at 800-233-2328. You can also send us a secure message using Messenger, or visit any BECU Location.