Tag: scams/scammers

Data broker MC2 Data left more than 100 million records of Americans exposed online for anyone to copy, grab, forward, sell on the Dark Web — you name it. This comes only a month after the National Public Data breach of 2.9 billion records. I’m getting so tired of these data broker companies and people-search sites screwing up, and it’s you and me who have to pay for their mistakes.

What’s the government doing about these leaks?

Not much, sorry to say. You’d think we’d have a system in place to at least fine the companies. Nope. Sure, there’ll be class-action lawsuits we can be a part of. They usually pop up within 48 hours of a data leak. But you know the drill for those: The lawyers make the money, while those of us affected get only a few bucks.

I saw that firsthand when my dad took an over-the-counter antihistamine that put him into heart arrhythmia, causing him to pass away. They yanked the med from store shelves, my mom filled out reams of paperwork as part of a class-action lawsuit, and she got a check for about $300. Disgraceful.

Thanks to these companies’ shoddy cybersecurity practices, your personal info is floating around for anyone who wants it. Let me help you lock things down. Incogni is the company I used to remove my info online about a year ago. I’m so glad I did. More on them later.

How the heck did that happen?

We can’t blame hackers for this leak. It was an inexcusable lack of security dubbed “human error.” MC2 Data owns several background check sites, including PrivateRecords, PrivateReports, PeopleSearcher, ThePeopleSearchers and PeopleSearchUSA. 

They left a whopping 2.2 terabytes of private information exposed — no password required to see it. The info included everything from names and contact info to criminal records, employment histories and family data.

So far, MC2 Data hasn’t released a formal response to the breach. The story is still developing, but I wanted to make sure you knew about it.

Your action plan for security and privacy

Since this breach essentially impacts one out of every three Americans, it’s time to take action. Use these tips to keep your information and identity safe:

• Be wary of urgent requests. Many scam emails look like they’re from a legitimate bank or company. Always expand the email address to verify it’s official company correspondence, not some random Gmail account. When in doubt, go to the bank or company’s official website and contact customer service.
• Freeze your credit. This will keep scammers from opening a credit card or loan in your name. Like setting up a fraud alert, you’ll need to contact each of the three credit bureaus. (Watch out for bogus emails from the credit bureaus, too.)
• Be skeptical of unsolicited calls or emails referencing hacked info. For example, if your credit union was impacted by a breach, be extra careful with emails or calls claiming there’s an issue with your account.
• Take proactive steps. Start with your financial life. Update your bank PIN and login credentials. Do the same with your credit cards. Set up banking alerts on your phone to stay on top of fraudulent activity.

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Here’s a stat that blows me away: One in every 10 seniors is a victim of identity theft each year. Americans over the age of 60 lost $3.4 billion in fraud schemes in 2023. That’s almost an 11% increase from the year before, and things are only getting worse.

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