Scam of the day – January 11, 2026 – What the TransUnion Data Breach Reveals About Social Engineering and Protecting Your Identity

by | Jan 10, 2026 | Scam of the day

Data breaches are a common occurrence which is disturbing because they can readily lead to your identity being stolen or you becoming a victim of a scam as the hackers leverage the data they steal to lure you into a scam.   Last August I reported to you that Credit reporting agency TransUnion became the victim of a data breach in which sensitive personal information including names, addresses, email addresses phone numbers birth dates and, most troubling, Social Security numbers of more than 13 million people was compromised.  Similar to recent data breaches at Google, Farmers Insurance, Allianz Life, Workday, Pandora, Cisco, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Qantas ,the data was stolen not from TransUnion’s computer networks, but rather from Salesforce, a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) company used by TransUnion and many other companies to manage their customer data.  The ransomware gang ShinyHunters managed to do this not by hacking Salesforce, but rather by using social engineering to trick TransUnion employees to enable access to the company’s Salesforce account containing its customer data.

Companies must do a better job of protecting themselves from not just technologically sophisticated cyberattacks, but less sophisticated, but equally effective social engineering attacks where the cybercriminals use psychology to manipulate employees to giving them access to important data.  Now there are two lawsuits related to the data breach filed against TransUnion seeking class action status. Both lawsuits allege negligence and failure to properly protect their data.  I will keep you informed as to the status of both of those cases.

TIPS

Victims of this data breach should  freeze their credit if they have not already done so.  Actually, 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.
With data breaches so common, it is also important to limit the amount of personal information you provide any company to no more than what is absolutely necessary. Many companies ask for your Social Security number although they have no real need for that information.  Don’t provide it whenever you can.
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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