TRENTON – Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today urged all current, former and prospective T-Mobile customers in New Jersey to take steps to protect their personal information from identity theft in light of a significant data breach reported by T-Mobile in 2021.

On August 17 of last year, T-Mobile reported a data breach that compromised the sensitive personal information of more than 53 million current, former, and prospective T-Mobile customers – including more than 1.7 million in New Jersey.

Millions of consumers had their names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers and driver’s license information compromised, among other categories of information.

Recently, much of the compromised T-Mobile information was discovered for sale on the dark web—a hidden portion of the Internet where cyber criminals buy, sell and track personal information.

Many individuals have since received alerts through various identity theft protection services informing them that their information was found online in connection with the breach, confirming that impacted individuals are at heightened risk for identity theft.

“We encourage all consumers to play a proactive role in safeguarding their personal data,” said Acting Attorney General Platkin. “With today’s consumer alert, we’re ensuring that consumers have information they need to protect themselves.”

Acting Attorney General Platkin urged anyone who believes they were affected by the T-Mobile breach, including individuals that have no current business relationship with T-Mobile such as former customers or prospective customers, to take the following steps:

• Monitor your credit. Credit monitoring services track your credit report and alert you whenever a change is made, such as a new account or a large purchase. Most services will notify you within 24 hours of any change to your credit report.
• 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:
  • Equifax | https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/ +1 (888) 766-0008
  • Experian | https://www.experian.com/freeze/center.html +1 (888) 397-3742
  • TransUnion | https://www.transunion.com/credit-freeze +1 (800) 680-7289
• Place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells lenders and creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity before issuing credit. You can place a fraud alert by contacting any one of the three major credit bureaus.
• Additional Resources. If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, go to identitytheft.gov for assistance on how to report it and recover from it. Consumers can also visit AskConsumerAffairs@dca.lps.state.nj.us.

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