T-Mobile Data Breach – Steps to Take

In August 2021, T-Mobile confirmed that they had a major data breach that potentially affects over 5 million customers. The data obtained in the breach includes full names, date of birth, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and other unique identifiers of past, present, and potential future T-Mobile customers. Here are some steps to take if you are worried your information has been leaked:

1. Change your T-Mobile password and pin

Change your password and pin with T-Mobile if you currently have an account. This will prevent bad actors from gaining access to your mobile account, which can be used to compromise additional personal and business accounts.

2. Take advantage of free credit monitoring here provided free from T-Mobile

In response to the breach, T-Mobile is offering credit monitoring from McAfee free for two years. This service will monitor your identity and credit online for suspicious or fraudulent activities and help to prevent identity theft.

3. Monitor your bank accounts regularly for suspicious activity

Bad actors will often use stolen personal information to gain access to additional accounts, especially bank accounts. Be sure to check your account activity regularly to verify all transactions are legitimate.

4. Implement additional authentication methods when available

Multi-factor authentication is the best protection against compromised credentials and can further protect your accounts both with T-Mobile and elsewhere. When possible, enroll in in multifactor authentication that may include SMS, email, or an app to help protect your accounts.

5. Freeze and monitor your credit

Freezing your credit will not affect your credit score and will prevent bad actors from opening new lines of credit as long as it is frozen. To freeze your credit, you will need to contact each of the three major credit bureaus - Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Monitor your credit regularly for changes that can be linked to fraudulent activity.

6. Monitor the situation for further details

T-Mobile has provided an information page at t-mobile.com/brand/data-breach-2021 where customers can stay up to date with information and services as they become available.

Helping you protect your company’s financial information is important to us. For additional information on how to protect your accounts, visit EnterpriseBanking.com/security.