The New York State Office of the Attorney General (NY OAG) warned victims of the August 2021 T-Mobile data breach that they faced identity theft risks after some of the stolen information ended up for sale on the dark web.
The alert comes after individuals impacted in the incident were notified by identity theft protection services that their info was found online, demonstrating that affected consumers are now at heightened risk for identity theft.
"Information stolen in a massive data breach has fallen into the wrong hands and is circulating on the dark web," said New York Attorney General Letitia James.
"The guidance offered by my office can help prevent identity theft. I advise all New Yorkers to maintain their financial safety by following the guidance my office has laid out."
NY OAG's guidance advises consumers at risk to use credit monitoring services to be alerted within 24 hours when new changes are made, such as large purchases or newly added accounts.
They're also urged to consider placing a free credit freeze on their credit reports (via Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) to block identity thieves from opening new credit accounts using stolen personal info.
Last but not least, affected consumers can also place fraud alerts on their credit reports to instruct creditors and lenders to take additional steps to verify their identity before issuing credits.
