PIRGs, Others Ask CFPB & FTC To Investigate Experian/T-Mobile Data Breach

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U.S. PIRG

Statement of PIRG Consumer Program Director Ed Mierzwinski on Letter to Regulators Urging Investigation of Experian/T-Mobile Data Breach

“The breach of 15 million T-Mobile customer and applicant records by a subsidiary of the national credit reporting agency Experian is troubling. Our group letter from over 25 national and state consumer privacy organizations asks the CFPB and FTC for a full investigation. Here are just a few of the questions we raise:

If the server holding the T-Mobile files was subject to fewer security protections than the full Experian credit reporting database, why? If it was subject to the same protections as the credit reporting server, doesn’t this raise the troubling possibility that the server holding highly sensitive credit and personal information of over 200 million Americans is vulnerable to a data hack by identity thieves?

Since credit monitoring, which has been offered to victims by the firms, doesn’t stop new account identity theft, Is there any authority for the CFPB to require the nationwide CRAs to provide free security freezes to affected consumers?”

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Here is a link to PIRG’s original statement on the breach, which includes identity theft tips and more information on the security freeze.

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