BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said he encourages Idahoans impacted by T-Mobile's data breach in August of 2021 to take the proper steps to protect their personal information.
According to a consumer alert news release Wasden's office sent out Wednesday, a large subset of information from the breach is for sale on the "dark web." Nearly 179,000 Idahoans were impacted by the original breach in August, Wasden said.
At the time of the breach, T-Mobile said the personal information from about 7.8 million of its postpaid customers, 850,000 prepaid customers and more than 40 million credit applicants had been accessed.
The dark web is a hidden portion of the internet that cyber criminals use to buy, sell and track individual's personal information.
Wasden said many customers have received alerts from various theft protection services since the August breach. The alerts typically inform individuals that their information was found online in connection with the breach.
The total number of affected Idahoans -- 178,764 -- includes 26,641 Idaho customers and 152,123 non-customers, according to Wasden's office. The compromised information includes names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and driver's license information.
"This breach was unique in that it affected T-Mobile customers but also prospective customers," Wasden said. "So if you've ever inquired about a T-Mobile phone or other service, this situation may impact you. So I encourage anyone who receives a notice or alert to take it seriously, whether you've actually been a T-Mobile customer or not."
Wasden said he urges those who believe they were impacted by the T-Mobile breach to take steps to protect themselves. Wasden said individuals should monitor their credit report and send an alert whenever a change is made, such as a large purchase or a new account.
The Idaho Attorney General also recommends that impacted individuals consider placing a freeze on their credit report, which can be done by contacting Equifax, Experian and TransUnion -- the three major credit bureaus.
If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, go to identitytheft.gov for assistance on how to report it and recover from it - or contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-432-3545 or 208-334-2424.
"Importantly, no phone numbers, account numbers, PINs, passwords or financial information were compromised in any of these files of [postpaid] customers or prospective customers," T-Mobile said in an online post at the time of the data breach.
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