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From: https://tinyurl.com/mtpj4623 (thegatewaypundit.com)

National Public Data Admits Hackers Allegedly Stole Social Security Numbers in
Massive Breach of Nearly ALL Americans

by Jim Hoft Aug. 19, 2024 11:40 am

National Public Data (NPD), a Coral Springs, Florida-based company, has
confirmed that cybercriminals successfully breached its servers, stealing
the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information of nearly
EVERY American, the New York Post reported.

Jerico Pictures Inc., operating as National Public Data, released a
statement last week acknowledging the massive data breach. The company
confirmed that the stolen data included names, email addresses, phone
numbers, Social Security numbers, and mailing addresses.

The breach, which occurred in late December 2023, is believed to have
exposed sensitive data through subsequent leaks in April and the summer of
2024.

NPD attributed the breach to a "third-party bad actor" and described the
incident as a "data security incident" in its official statement on its
website. The company emphasized that it has since conducted an
investigation into the breach, but the damage has already been done.

Since August 1, at least eight separate lawsuits have been filed against
NPD, each alleging negligence and breaches of fiduciary duty. The first of
these lawsuits was filed by Christopher Hoffman, a California resident,
who claims that a cybercriminal group known as "USDoD" posted the stolen
data on the dark web.

Hoffman's lawsuit, which was first reported by Bloomberg Law, alleges that
the group made the personal data of 2.9 billion people available for sale
on the dark web, pricing the database at a staggering $3.5 million. The
lawsuit further alleges that the hackers obtained data dating back at
least three decades, including information about relatives and past
addresses.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported:

According to the Times, the information stolen includes possibly every
Social Security number in America and other sensitive data. News of the
hack was discovered in a lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the
Southern District of Florida.

USDoD previously put the personal data up for sale for $3.5
million according to the complaint.

Teresa Murray, consumer watchdog director for the U.S. Public
Information Research Group told the LA Times in an interview that if
USDoD is telling the truth, this hack is much more severe than previous
ones affecting Americans.

"If this in fact is pretty much the whole dossier on all of us, it
certainly is much more concerning," Murray said. "And if people weren't
taking precautions in the past, which they should have been doing, this
should be a five-alarm wake-up call for them."

In response to the breach, NPD has urged affected individuals to closely
monitor their financial accounts and report any unauthorized activity to
their financial institutions immediately. The company also recommends that
Social Security number holders contact the three major credit reporting
agencies-Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion-to obtain a free credit report
and place a fraud alert on their file.

According to NPD:

We strongly advise you to take preventive measures to help prevent and
detect any misuse of your information. As a first step, we recommend
that you closely monitor your financial accounts and if you see any
unauthorized activity, you should promptly contact your financial
institution.

As a second step, you may want to contact the three U.S. credit
reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to obtain a free
credit report from each by calling 1.877.322.8228 or by logging onto
www.annualcreditreport.com. It is also recommended that you place a free
fraud alert on your credit file. A fraud alert tells creditors to
contact you before they open any new accounts or change your existing
accounts.

Contact any one of the three major credit bureaus. As soon as one credit
bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud
alerts. The initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for one
year. You can renew it after one year.

Equifax: equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services or 1-800-685-1111

Experian: experian.com/help or 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion: transunion.com/credit-help or 1-888-909-8872

Ask each credit bureau to send you a free credit report after it places
a fraud alert on your file. Review your credit reports for accounts and
inquiries you do not recognize.

These can be signs of identity theft. If your personal information has
been misused, visit the FTCs site at IdentityTheft.gov to report the
identity theft and get recovery steps.

Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit
reports, it is recommended that you check your credit reports
periodically so you can spot problems and address them quickly. You may
also want to consider placing a free credit freeze.

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A credit freeze means potential creditors cannot get your credit report.
That makes it less likely that an identity thief can open new accounts
in your name. To place a freeze, contact each of the major credit
bureaus at the links or phone numbers above.

A freeze remains in place until you ask the credit bureau to temporarily
lift it or remove it.
===

-- Sean

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