National Public Data – Data Breach Investigation
In this age of technology, amidst a world of encroaching cybersecurity threats, your personal information is more vulnerable than ever. Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel has the experience and expertise litigating data breach matters, providing compensation to victims of data breaches, and requiring businesses to enhance their data security practices to protect their consumers. If you think your information may have been compromised in a data breach, please call us at 312.782.4880 or reach us via email at lnichols@caffertyclobes.com.
National Public Data is a provider of public records data, specializing in criminal records and background checks. The company retrieves this information by scraping personally identifiable information (PII) from non-public sources. National Public Data is owned and operated by Jerico Pictures.
Recently, National Public Data experienced a data security incident that compromised highly sensitive personal information of its current and former background check recipients. The breach occurred when an unauthorized actor gained access to National Public Data’s network, exfiltrated their data, and attempted to extort a ransom payment. They have not yet begun notifying impacted individuals.
National Public Data has not yet disclosed how many people’s highly sensitive information was breached, but the incident could potentially impact 2.9 billion individuals. Information accessed within the breach includes names, Social Security numbers, addresses, states of residence, counties of residence, cities of residence, and ZIP codes.
National Public Data’s recent data breach is a serious matter that could inflict far-reaching consequences for those affected. The exposure of personally identifiable information, especially names and Social Security numbers, poses a significant risk of identity theft, such as criminals opening financial accounts, taking out loans, filing fraudulent tax returns, and obtaining government services in the victim’s name. Personally identifiable information can also be exposed on the Dark Web, which poses a serious threat toward the privacy and safety of many individuals. According to a recent FTC survey, the total cost of identity theft is nearly $50 billion per year, with victims losing an average of nearly $5,000 from the misuse of their personal and financial information. The exposure of protected medical information can pose an even greater danger of identity theft—such as obtaining medical services in the victim’s name, which will be charged to the victim.
Current and former recipients of background checks from National Public Data have been exposed to a heightened risk of fraud and identity theft and must now closely monitor your financial accounts. You could be at risk of incurring additional out-of-pocket costs for purchasing credit monitoring services, credit freezes, credit reports, or other protective measures to deter and detect identity theft.
Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel has the experience and expertise litigating data breach matters, providing compensation to victims of data breaches, and requiring businesses to enhance their data security practices to protect their consumers. If you suspect your sensitive personal information may have been compromised in the National Public Data data breach, you must take action to protect both your personal and financial well-being. Please call us at 312.782.4880 or reach us via email at lnichols@caffertyclobes.com.
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August 7, 2024Share on Social Media