Scam of the day – April 19, 2025 – Hertz Data Breach

by | Apr 18, 2025 | Scam of the day

Data breaches are all too common and the latest data breach involves car rental company Hertz which also operates the Dollar and Thrifty car rental companies.  Customer information for the three car rental companies was compromised in a data breach involving Cleo Communications, a company that is a third party vendor that provides file transfer services for the Hertz parent company.  The breach occurred between October 2024 and December 2024, but was just now disclosed to the public.  The compromised information included names, contact information, birth dates, credit card information, driver’s license information as well as Social Security numbers for what Hertz says was a smaller group of people.

The compromised information can readily lead to identity theft.

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.
Victims of the data breach should monitor their credit card statements closely (as we all should do anyway) for indications of credit card fraud.
Hertz is offering victims of the data breach two years of free credit monitoring.  Affected customers should call Hertz at 866-408-8964 for information as to how to apply for the 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.  Also, as always, never click on a link or download an attachment to an email or text message unless you have absolutely confirmed that it is legitimate and don’t provide personal information in response to an email, text message or phone call unless you have absolutely confirmed that the communication was legitimate.

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