LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is encouraging Michiganders who may have been affected by the T-Mobile data breach last year to take precautionary steps to safeguard their identities.
The mobile telecommunication company reported the data breach on Aug. 17, 2021. More than 1.1 million current, former and potential customers in Michigan are believed to have been impacted. We’re told names, birth dates, social security numbers and driver’s license numbers were compromised.
The attorney general’s office says much of that information was being sold on the dark web.
“Anyone who received notice from T-Mobile related to this breach should be taking steps to combat potential identify theft,” says Nessel. “While we can’t stop bad actors from accessing your information – especially once it ends up for sale on the dark web – there are ways to protect yourself if your information was compromised.”
Nessel encourages impacted T-Mobile customers to do the following:
- Monitor your credit and consider using a credit-monitoring service.
- Consider freezing your credit report, as doing so will prevent thieves from opening new accounts in your name. Place a credit freeze by reaching out to Equifax (888-766-0008), Experian (888-397-3742) or TransUnion (800-680-7289).
- Add fraud alerts to your credit report.
- Visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
We're told Nessel and other attorneys general are looking into whether T-Mobile had appropriate defenses in place when the breach occurred.
