Scam of the day – November 18, 2024 – Massive Data Breach at Hot Topic

by | Nov 17, 2024 | Scam of the day

Fashion retailer Hot Topic has suffered a massive data breach affecting 57 million of its customers.  Among the data stolen was email addresses, home addresses, phone numbers, purchases, birth dates and partial credit card data, all of which can be used by scammers for identity theft purposes.  The data breach occurred on October 19th and the hacker, who uses the name “Satanic” already has posted some of the information on the Dark Web site BreachForums, one of the sites used by cybercriminals to buy and sell goods and services.  As of the writing of this Scam of the day, Hot Topics has not yet confirmed the data breach nor notified its customers or governmental officials of the data breach.

TIPS

Victims of this data breach should  freeze their credit if they have not already done so.  Freezing your credit is actually something everyone should do.  It is free and easy to do.  In addition, it protects you from someone using your identity to obtain loans or make large purchases even if they have your Social Security number.  If you have not already done so, put a credit freeze on your credit reports at all of the major credit reporting agencies.  Here are links to each of them with instructions about how to get a credit freeze:

Everyone also should monitor their credit reports regularly for indications of identity theft.  The three major credit reporting agencies now provide free weekly access to your credit reports so you can monitor your credit reports easily on your own.  Here is the only link to use to get your free credit reports.https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
Some scammers have websites that appear to offer “free” credit reports, but if you read the fine print, you often may find that you have signed up for unnecessary services.
Finally, be wary of anyone who calls you purporting to help you in regard to the data breach who  asks for personal information in regard to this data breach as that is a favorite tactic of hackers to lure you into providing additional personal information that can lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft.

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