Attorney General Pam Bondi is warning current and former T-Mobile subscribers to be on alert as personal information may have been compromised in a recent breach of an Experian server. Attorney General Bondi is also providing tips to consumers to help guard against financial crimes related to identity theft. T-Mobile used Experian to run credit checks on applicants for T-Mobile's services. The compromised Experian server contained information from credit applications for T-Mobile services from Sept. 1, 2013 – Sept. 16, 2015. The server stored approximately 15 million records, including 1.2 million Floridians’ records. Personal information compromised includes: name, address, date of birth, identification number, Social Security number and additional information used in T-Mobile's own credit assessment. At this time, Experian believes no payment card or banking information is involved in the breach.
To guard against identity theft, consumers can follow these tips:
• Monitor credit and banking activity to identify any potential unauthorized transactions. If such transactions are found, contact your financial institution immediately;
• Consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze on a credit report. A credit freeze locks down a person's credit report so credit may not be issued until the freeze is lifted. A fraud alert requires creditors to take steps to verify a person's identity before issuing credit in his or her name. Service members on active duty may place an active duty alert on their credit, requiring creditors to take steps to verify the service member's identity before issuing credit. Call one of the three credit bureaus to place a fraud alert, active duty alert or credit freeze on a credit report or to check a credit report:
• Equifax: 1 (800) 525-6285
• Experian: 1 (888) 397-3742
• Transunion: 1 (800) 680-7289
• Keep all receipts to cross-reference credit and banking statements; and
• Call local law enforcement if suspicious of identity theft. For more information and resources on identity theft, visit MyFloridaLegal.com.
To help consumers affected by the Experian data breach protect their identity, Experian is providing the T-Mobile applicants with two years of free credit monitoring and identity resolution services through ProtectMyID. For more information on the Experian data breach or to enroll in the free services Experian is providing to the affected consumers, visit ProtectMyID.com, call (866) 369-0422 or email ConsumerSupport@ProtectMyID.com.