What if my information has been compromised by a data breach?
If you have been impacted by the recent T-Mobile data breach, we urge you to take the following steps to protect your personal information and avoid identity theft.
Read the Notice Carefully and Stay Informed. Take note of the personal information affected by the security breach – some types of personal information may be more sensitive or lead you to take more steps to protect yourself. There may be additional or more detailed information on the company's website (but find the website address on your own or by searching the internet – be careful of clicking on a link in an email). Stay informed by checking the company's website or contacting them for more information.
Be Vigilant. Monitor your accounts and credit reports. Receiving a data breach notice does not automatically mean you are a victim of identity theft unless the notice says so, but could indicate that you are at higher risk of identity theft.
Credit Monitoring. Some businesses offer free credit monitoring and identity protection services when there is a security breach. Consider whether to take advantage of those free services. The security breach notice will usually provide information on how to enroll in those services. If it is offered for free, then do not sign up for something you have to pay for unless you want the additional services.
Protect Yourself. For additional tips on protecting yourself from identity theft, see, "How can I protect myself from identity theft?" below.
Identity Theft
If someone has used your identity without your permission to open an account, misused existing accounts, entered into a lease or loan, obtained services under your identity, filed forms for taxes or government benefits (such as unemployment insurance fraud), broken the law, or avoided police using your identity, then consider these tips:
- Act Quickly – Don't Wait. Recovery from identity theft is usually easier if you take action as soon as you learn that you are a victim or could be one. Some protections may be lost if you wait too long to report the misuse, such as limits on loss from misuse of your debit or credit cards.
- Report ID Theft to our office. Be sure to report identity theft to our office by completing our online scam complaint form at ag.ky.com/scams. If you contact our office regarding unemployment insurance fraud, we will pass your information directly to the Unemployment Fraud Unit, but we also advise you to complete the steps above.
- Report ID Theft to the FTC. Remember to report incidents of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission by visiting www.identitytheft.gov.
- ID Theft Resources. The Office of the Attorney General has created an Identity Theft brochure to guide you through the process of recovering from identity theft. We also recommend referencing information from the FTC on identity theft, and the FTC's ID Theft Booklet. If you would like to receive a hard copy of the FTC's ID Theft Booklet, please contact our office by calling (502)-696-5389.
- Fraud Alert. Place a free fraud alert on your credit report, by contacting any of the major credit reporting agencies. A fraud alert will alert businesses to verify identity before issuing credit in your name. A fraud alert lasts for a year, but you can extend it to 7 years if you are an identity theft victim and can provide a police report.
Experian – (888) 397-3742, www.experian.com;
TransUnion – (800) 680-7289, www.transunion.com;
Equifax – (800) 525-6285, www.equifax.com.
- Police. Contact local law enforcement to report the identity theft. Get a copy of the report, which you can use to obtain an extended fraud alert.
- Credit Report Freeze. Put a security “freeze” on your credit report at the major credit reporting agencies. Credit freezes are free as of September 21, 2018, according to federal law. You will have to contact each credit reporting agency where you want to freeze your credit report. Some credit reporting agencies offer a “credit lock” service that is similar to a security freeze – you decide what will work for you. A representative of a “protected consumer” (a minor under 16, an incapacitated person, or a person for whom a guardian or conservator has been appointed) can place a freeze for that person after providing proof of authority and identification. More information about the federal credit freeze law is available from the Federal Trade Commission (see “Resources” in the sidebar).
- Credit Report. Get your credit report and review it carefully. The three national credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — have extended until December 31, 2023, a program that lets you check your credit report at each of the agencies once a week for free. You can also get a free report when you place a fraud alert. Check your credit report for any suspicious activity on your accounts, such as accounts you do not recognize or that have been placed in collection without your knowledge.
- Creditors and Accounts. If you learn that an account has been misused or opened fraudulently in your name, contact the business as soon as possible to report the misuse and dispute any charges or transactions that you did not make. You can ask the business about closing the account, reissuing any credit or debit cards for existing accounts, and a copy of the application and other records used to open the account. Carefully monitor your account statements and bills.
- Keep a Record. Keep good notes of conversations and copies of correspondence with businesses and law enforcement agencies.
- Monitor. Carefully keep watch over your accounts and credit reports, even after you have taken these steps. Some effects of identity theft may not be noticed immediately, such as fraudulent accounts that are later sent to a debt collector, or credit report errors due to misuse of your identity.
Contact Us. If you want to discuss identity theft issues related to a security breach notice you have received, you may call the Kentucky Attorney General's Office on our toll-free Data Breach Hotline at 1-855-813-6508, submit an online complaint form, or mail your question or complaint to the address in the sidebar.
How can I protect myself from identity theft?
Scammers and Phishing. Watch for scammers using phone calls or “phishing” emails falsely claiming to be from a company, credit reporting agency, or government agency, and be very careful about clicking on links that may lead you to legitimate-looking websites urging you to give up personal information. Never respond to pop-up ads that ask for personal or financial information.
Fraud Alert. Consider placing a free “fraud alert” on your credit report. See "Fraud Alert" above for information.
Credit Report. Check your credit reports for free. See "Credit Report" above for information.
Monitor Accounts. Carefully monitor communications from anyone you have an account with or obtain a service from. Regularly review your transactions, accounts, and debit and credit cards. Watch for other warning signs that your identity or credit information has been misused, such as: receiving credit cards for accounts that you did not open; receiving an address or account change notice you did not initiate; being denied credit or favorable credit terms for no apparent reason; receiving collection calls for accounts that you do not know are late; or you suddenly stop receiving statements from a creditor for no good reason.
Call your bank or the merchant if you see mistakes or signs of misuse, and ask that any fraudulent charges be removed. Ask the bank or merchant whether you should close the account or replace it with a new one.
If you have an online account, consider changing your password and pin numbers. Log in to that account and change your password. If possible, also change your username. If you can't log in, contact the company. Ask them how you can recover or shut down the account.
If you use the same password anywhere else, change that, too.
Monitor your child's or ward's identity regularly to be sure no accounts are opened in his or her name. Go to
www.annualcreditreport.com or to a credit reporting agency's website for information on how to check with the credit reporting agencies to see if a credit history has been established in the name of your child or ward.
Security Freeze. Consider placing a credit freeze for you or your child or ward. See "Credit Report Freeze" above for information.
Taxes. File your taxes early before a scammer can. Respond right away to letters from the IRS.
Don't believe anyone who calls and says you'll be arrested unless you pay for taxes or debt even if they have part or all of your Social Security number or they say they're from the IRS.
Learn More. Review the FTC's information on Identify Theft and Child Identity Theft.
Unemployment Insurance Fraud
Scammers employ many types of schemes to steal the identities of Kentuckians, including unemployment insurance fraud (UI fraud). In these schemes, scammers use your Social Security number to apply for unemployment insurance. If you suspect your identity has been compromised through unemployment insurance fraud, we recommend reporting the incident to the Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance and the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud in addition to implementing the other identity theft tips on this page.
- Report UI Fraud to Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance. Be sure to report unemployment insurance fraud to the Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance by completing the Office of Unemployment Insurance’s fraud form by visiting, https://secure.kentucky.gov/FormServices/UI/Fraud.
- Report UI Fraud to NCDF. Remember to report unemployment insurance fraud to the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by completing their online form or by calling 866-720-5721. Choose “COVID-19” as the disaster that relates to your complaint and choose “Identity Theft” and “Insurance Fraud” as to the conduct you are reporting.
- Follow the identity theft tips above. In addition to implementing these UI fraud-specific steps, we also recommend following all of the above tips to resolve identity theft.