GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A data breach on Capital One users occurred in Late March and the BBB says the victims will soon be known.
It is being called one of the largest-ever data breaches of a big bank.
On July 29, it was announced that over 106 million card customers and applicants had personal information accessed by a hacker.
As the company tries to clear up the mess, the Better Business Bureau warns that scammers may be trying to pose as Capital One to make your situation worse.
“Telling them that they are going to help them with this data breach or that they are going to help them file a claim.”
Susan Bach says the data breaches can’t be avoided, but consumers can protect themselves by freezing their credit.
“I think that it is the best and easiest way to protect yourself from identity theft.”
It is free and can prevent people from using a social security number to open a new line of credit. Those impacted should expect to be notified by mail.
Paige A. Thompson, 33 years old, was arrested in connection with the hack Monday by federal agents in Seattle, officials said.
Ms. Thompson is accused of breaking through a Capital One firewall to access customer data that the bank had stored on Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud service, according to a federal criminal complaint and people familiar with the matter.
(Thompson is a former employee of Amazon Web Services Inc., according to people familiar with the matter) is charged with one count of computer fraud and abuse, allegedly accessed the bank’s data through a misconfigured firewall.
Under the username “erratic,” Ms. Thompson boasted online about her alleged theft of the data, which allowed law enforcement to quickly identify her, according to prosecutors.
The breach compromised approximately 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 bank account numbers, as well as some customers’ credit scores, payment histories and credit limits.
The Capital One breach could prove to be damaging if criminals use the stolen information to apply for credit (in the names of the most creditworthy or affluent people.)
Although the bank said it is unlikely the stolen information was disseminated or used for fraud, the criminal complaint alleges Ms. Thompson intended for the data to be distributed online. The bank said that its investigation continues (and that the incident is expected to cost approximately $100 million to $150 million.)
The Better Business Bureau advises victims of the data breach to:1. Stay calm. Consumers are not liable for fraudulent charges on stolen accountnumbers.2. Check with the website of the company that was breached for the latest information.Type the company name directly into your browser. Do NOT click on a link from anemail or social media message.3. If a credit card has been compromised, you will likely hear from the bank or card-issuer first. If you have questions, call the customer service number on your card.4. Consider putting a credit freeze or fraud alert on your credit reports with the threemajor credit reporting agencies (go.bbb.org/creditfreeze). A credit freeze will preventanyone from accessing your credit report or scores. This means you cannot apply fornew credit without lifting the freeze. A fraud alert flags your account but does notautomatically halt new credit being opened in your name.5. AnnualCreditReport.com is the only website authorized by the Federal TradeCommission to provide you with a free annual credit report. Be wary of ads, emails,and social media messages for other services. Everyone should check their creditreports annually, whether or not they have been the victim of a data breach.6. If your credit card(s) has been breached:
