W.Va. Attorney General informs about massive data breach

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey urges all state residents who were impacted by the data breach last summer with T-Mobile to protect themselves.

A large collection of the information taken during that data breach has been found for sale on the dark web. Many received alerts informing them of their information being online and confirmed that they are now at a heightened risk for identity theft.

The data breach impacted more than 53 million individuals, including 68,361 West Virginians. Among other categories of impacted information, millions had their names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and driver’s license information compromised.

“This situation can be worrisome and frustrating for many people who have used this company,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “However, our Office encourages consumers to follow up on the ways they can protect their information and see if their information has been compromised.”

The Attorney General offers a few basic tips for consumers to protect their information and identities including:

Monitor your bank account and credit card statements to detect unauthorized charges.
Check your credit report for new accounts or creditors you do not recognize. All consumers are entitled to a free annual credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Consider placing a free credit freeze on your credit report. Identity thieves will not be able to open a new credit account in your name while the freeze is in place. You can place a credit freeze by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus.
Place a fraud alert on your credit report. These free alerts last for a year and make it more difficult for a person to open up a line of credit in your name.

If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, call the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division at 800-368-8808 or file a consumer complaint online at www.wvago.gov.

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