Not to alarm you, but your Social Security number is already leaked

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. “Social Security numbers have been widely available for years, so there’s really no additional risk that comes from your Social Security number being involved in a data breach if it happens today.” That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions. In 2024, unless you are a high-net-worth individual, or a high-profile person, you are almost certainly “not at individual risk” for having your bank account drained by an identity thief after a data breach, because the types of scams they’re generally committing have evolved in the past 10 to 15 years, Lee explained. open image in gallery The owner of NPD once appeared on a TV show alongside the iconic Burt Reynolds Christopher Hoffman, the California man whose August 1 lawsuit revealed the existence of the NPD breach, first learned his SSN and other private info had been stolen in late July when Experian, the credit monitoring service he subscribed to, notified him that his personal data had been compromised, according to court filings. In Hoffman’s case, he and the other victims are demanding damages to be determined by a jury, plus an injunction requiring NPD, which may or may not continue to exist in any way related to its data brokering business, to maintain “adequate security.” “The risk of another such breach,” Hoffman’s lawsuit says, “is real, immediate, and substantial.” open image in gallery NDP is facing multiple class action lawsuits after its August 2024 data breach Although people have developed what Lee described as a sort of “breach fatigue,” he said it’s important not to ignore the notices and to take advantage of the free credit monitoring you will likely be offered.