If you’re an AT&T customer, now’s the time to take action. A previously reported data breach has exposed personal information from millions of accounts—and that data is reportedly up for sale on underground hacking forums.
According to cybersecurity researchers, a database containing up to 86 million AT&T customer records is being sold on Russian cybercrime forums. This leaked info includes sensitive personal details like:
- Full names
- Birthdates
- Phone numbers
- Email addresses
- Physical addresses
- And nearly 44 million Social Security numbers stored in plain text
Yes, you read that right—Social Security numbers stored in plain text. That’s a goldmine for identity thieves.
What Should You Do?
AT&T released the following statement to McAfee, “After analysis by our internal teams as well as external data consultants, we are confident this is repackaged data previously released on the dark web in March 2024. Affected customers were notified at that time. We have notified law enforcement of this latest development.” Additonally, AT&T offered credit monitoring and identity theft protection to those customers whose sensitive personal information was compromised as part of the notice in 2024.
However, for extra peace of mind, McAfee recommends the following:
1. Check your credit reports – Look for any unfamiliar accounts or activity. You’re entitled to a free credit report every year from each major bureau at AnnualCreditReport.com.
2. Change your AT&T account password – Especially if you haven’t updated it recently, or if you reuse that password elsewhere.
3. Set up fraud alerts or credit freezes – It’s a smart move to stop scammers from opening new accounts in your name.
4. Monitor for identity theft – Consider using an identity monitoring service that can alert you to suspicious activity across your credit, bank, and public records.
5. Protect your digital life – Consider signing up for a McAfee+ protection plan. You’ll get automatic scam alerts, security for unlimited devices, and 24/7 identity monitoring—plus up to $2 million in identity theft coverage and recovery support from U.S.-based experts. McAfee handles the heavy lifting with dark web monitoring and scam prevention, so you can get back to living your life with confidence.
Taking steps now can help keep your identity safe in the long run.
