A Pennsylvania collection operation has suffered a data breach that has compromised the personal information of nearly 2 million individuals, according to a filing the company has made with the Maine Attorney General.
What Happened: Back on February 26, the company — FBCS — discovered unauthorized access to certain systems in its network. The company launched an investigation and hired a forensic specialist to discover the full scope of what happened. The investigation revealed that the company’s systems were subject to unauthorized access between February 14 and February 26 and whomever had the unauthorized access had the ability to view or acquire certain information on the company’s network. Certain information, such as the names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and account information may have been accessed, although the company said it has no evidence of any misuse of the information that may have been taken.
- The company began notifying individuals last week. About 1.9 million individuals were affected, according to the company’s filing with the Maine AG, which maintains a database of data breaches.
What Happened Next: The company said it notified federal law enforcement about the event and is working to implement additional safeguards.
- Individuals who were impacted will be eligible for 12 months of free credit monitoring.
- The company said it is also supplying individuals with information about how to place fraud alerts and security freezes on their credit files and other information that may be relevant in the event an individual notices that his or her personal information may have been used without their permission.
The Data: Nearly one-third of consumers were subject to some form of online financial fraud in 2023, according to published reports. Data breaches cost about $4.4 million on average to fix unless you’re a healthcare company, which have to spend nearly $11 million.
