(KNSI) – In January, a data breach with millions of Americans’ personal information was found on the dark web. A press release from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office reports the information, names, birthdays, Social Security numbers, and more, was stolen from T-Mobile in August of 2021. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison claims more than 670,000 Minnesotans may be involved in the breach and has joined a coalition of 48 state attorneys general to investigate the crime.
Ellison says the data breach not only affected current T-Mobile customers but past and potential customers who may have given personal information to the company. As a result, he is asking Minnesota residents to take extra steps to protect their personal information. Ellison asks Minnesotans to:
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 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.
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.
A step-by-step guide to complete these tasks can be found on the Minnesota Attorney General’s Website.
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