Experian, one of the world's consumer credit reporting agencies, said that a hacker was able to steal personal information of 15 million credit applicants of T-Mobile. The hacking incident is said to be a massive data breach in the history of the company, USA Today reported on Friday.
"We have been notified by Experian, a vendor that processes our credit applications, that they have experienced a data breach. The investigation is ongoing, but what we know right now is that the hacker acquired the records of approximately 15 million people, including new applicants requiring a credit check for service or device financing from September 1, 2013 through September 16, 2015," T-Mobile said in a statement on Thursday.
PC World reports that the hackers were able to obtain the applicants' personal information such as name, address, birthdate, Social Security number and ID numbers such as driver's license and passport numbers. It was said that all these information are used by T-Mobile for the sole purpose of credit assessment.
T-Mobile CEO John Alegre has expressed his disgust over the hacking incident and vowed that the company will extend full assistance to the affected customers.
"Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach and we will institute a thorough review of our relationship with Experian, but right now my top concern and first focus is assisting any and all consumers affected. I take our customer and prospective customer privacy VERY seriously. This is no small issue for us. I do want to assure our customers that neither T-Mobile's systems nor network were part of this intrusion and this did not involve any payment card numbers or bank account information," Alegre said in a statement.
"T-Mobile's team is also here and ready to help you in any way we can. We have posted our own Q&A here to keep you as informed as possible throughout this issue. At T-Mobile, privacy and security is of utmost importance, so I will stay very close to this issue and I will do everything possible to continue to earn your trust every day," the company said.
Reuters reports that the Experian breach was actually the latest to happen in a string of enormous hacking incidents in the U.S. "It is also the second massive breach linked to Experian. An attack on an Experian subsidiary that began before Experian purchased it in 2012 exposed the Social Security numbers of 200 million Americans and prompted an investigation by at least four states, including Connecticut."
