It was revealed that a hacker managed to gain access to T-Mobile’s data servers and make off with millions of people’s personal data. The unknown hacker has since been trying to sell the data on the Dark Web for as much as $270,000 worth of Bitcoin. While you can’t prevent your data from being sold, you can take steps to prevent someone from stealing your identity. We’ll show you how to sign up for identity-theft protection in a few easy steps.
Here’s the backstory
T-Mobile, a sponsor of Kim’s show, acknowledged earlier this week that the data breach occurred. The company jumped into action in limiting the fallout as much as possible by setting up a dedicated webpage for more information and assistance. T-Mobile apologized for the intrusion, lamenting that customer data has been put “in harm’s way.” An investigation into the matter is being conducted, and the company added that it wants to be as transparent about the situation as possible. The hacker claims to have full names, driver’s license information, mobile IMEI numbers and Social Security numbers. T-Mobile, on the other hand, has expressed that no “personal financial or payment information, credit or debit card information, account numbers, or account passwords were accessed.” But criminals can accomplish a lot with the data the hacker claims to have. So, for that, you must take up T-Mobile’s offer of identity-theft protection.
What you can do about it
T-Mobile is allowing you to sign up for a free two-year subscription to McAfee ID Theft Protection Service. And it doesn’t matter if you are a customer or not. You can go to the signup page here, and the only information you need to provide is an email address and your mobile number. The McAfee ID Theft Protection Service includes:
Dark Web monitoring for your detailsCredit monitoring for any suspicious transactionsFull-service ID restoration$1 million identity insurance (not available in NY or PR)Lost wallet recovery
T-Mobile also provides details for Scam Shield and how to sign up for the free Account Takeover Protection service.
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