MEMPHIS, Tenn. — While almost every consumer has been impacted by a data breach, few took strong actions to protect themselves after being notified.
So what should someone do?
ABC 24 spoke with Randy Hutchinson from the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South (BBB) about what people can do to protect themselves.
The Identity Theft Resource Center has tracked data breaches for 15 years.
It said data breaches in 2021 surpassed the previous annual record.
- 1,862 vs. the record of 1,506 set in 2017
- 68% higher than 2020
- Notable breaches included Costco and stock trading platform Robinhood
An ITRC survey found that 16% of people affected took no action. And only 11% took advantage of free credit monitoring offered by the organization that was hacked.
Why did folks do nothing? The survey said:
- They thought the organization involved would do whatever needed to be done.
- They didn't know what to do.
- They thought the notice was a scam.
Another issue are safeguards taken even before a breach happens.
The ITRC said:
- 85% of people use the same or similar passwords on multiple accounts
- That’s an issue because using automated systems, crooks will use passwords stolen from one database to try to access others.
- Only 22% of people who were notified a password had been stolen then went and changed passwords on other accounts.
Fore more on what to do during a data breach, CLICK HERE.