A debt collection company called Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS) has been affected by a massive data breach affecting millions of Americans. FBCS is a debt collection agency that specializes in recovering consumer and commercial debt, such as car loans, health care bills, utility bills, student loans and credit cards.
The initial number affected was about 1.9 million, which the company increased to 3 million in June 2024. The data breach exposed a trove of consumer data, including full name, Social Security Number (SSN), date of birth and driver’s license number or ID card. The company has informed the affected individuals as well as the relevant authorities.
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What happened?
According to a sample of the data breach notification the firm shared with authorities, threat actors accessed FBCS’s systems on Valentine’s Day, but the company didn’t realize the breach had occurred until February 26. FBCS describes the incident as “unauthorized access to certain systems on its network.”
What is troubling is that FBCS did not send the notification of the data breach until the end of April. “This announcement has not been delayed as a result of a law enforcement investigation,” the company says, asserting that it was conducting its own investigation while notifying federal authorities.
The notice indicates that the leaked information could include a variety of personal details, such as names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, driver’s licenses, state IDs, medical claims information and even medical records. . However, FBCS clarifies that not all data subjects will have all of this data exposed.
Customer Service Representative (FBCS)
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What is FBCS doing about the data breach?
FBCS is taking some steps to get things right. “Upon discovery of this incident, we immediately took steps to conduct a diligent investigation to confirm the nature and scope of the incident. As part of FBCS’s ongoing commitment to information security on our platform, we also implemented additional safeguards in a new built environment” said the company’s announcement.
The company also offers affected individuals a free 24-month credit monitoring and identity restoration service. This data breach may make you more susceptible to phishing, identity theft, and other social engineering attacks. To protect yourself, be careful about the information you share and closely monitor your bank account activity for any suspicious transactions.
We reached out to FBCS for a comment on this article, but did not hear back by our deadline.
A woman working on her laptop (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
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6 steps to take to protect yourself from a data breach
If you have been affected by this data breach, follow these steps to protect your personal data and privacy.
1) Invest in identity theft protection: If you think your personal data has been leaked, fraudsters may try to impersonate you to gain access to your private information. The best thing you can do to protect yourself from this type of fraud is to subscribe to an identity theft service. If you qualify, get the free CyEx subscription that FBCS offers.
Identity theft companies can monitor personal information such as your Social Security Number (SSN), phone number, and email address and alert you if it is sold on the dark web or used to open an account. They can also help you freeze your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals. See my tips and top picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft.
2) Set up a fraud alert: If you suspect you are a victim, contact the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion) and request that a fraud alert be placed on your credit file. This will make it more difficult for identity thieves to open new accounts in your name without verification.
3) Be wary of phishing attempts: Be vigilant about emails, phone calls or messages from unknown sources asking for personal information. Avoid clicking on suspicious links or providing sensitive details unless you can verify the legitimacy of the request.
The best way to protect yourself from clicking on malicious links that install malware that can access your private information is to install antivirus protection on all your devices. This can also alert you to any phishing emails or ransomware scams. Get my picks for the best antivirus protection 2024 winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices.
4) Check Social Security benefits: It’s essential to periodically check your Social Security benefits to make sure they haven’t been tampered with or changed in any way, protecting your financial security and preventing potential fraud.
5) Invest in personal data removal services: While no service promises to remove all of your data from the Internet, having a removal service is great if you want to continuously monitor and automate the process of removing your information from hundreds of sites over a longer period of time. Get your personal data off the internet with my top picks here.
6) Change your password: You can render a stolen password useless to thieves simply by changing it. Choose a strong password – one you don’t use elsewhere. Even better, consider leaving one password manager generate one for you.
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Kurt’s main take
Data breaches and cyber attacks in the US are on the rise. Companies are responsible for protecting customer data, and the least they can do is to immediately inform affected individuals when a cyber attack occurs. FBCS delayed notification, which could have given attackers time to target unprepared individuals. If you think your data has been compromised, it’s best to take a proactive approach. Start by changing your passwords and monitoring your bank accounts for unknown transactions.
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