Another massive data breach is putting consumers' identities at risk of being used for fraud and theft—this time, an incident at AssuranceAmerica exposed nearly 7 million individuals' insurance information, including driver's license numbers.
AssuranceAmerica is an insurance company that offers auto and renters policies to residents across a dozen states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The company recently disclosed the breach, which occurred in March of this year.
What happened with the AssuranceAmerica breach?
According to a data breach notice obtained by TechCrunch, AssuranceAmerica identified "suspicious activity" on its systems on March 17, likely the result of threat actors targeting a company employee. An "unauthorized third party" was able to obtain and copy data files containing customers' personal information, including the following:
Names
Contact information
Auto insurance policy or account information
Driver or vehicle information
Information related to claims
Driver's license numbers
While all of this information could be used in malicious ways, including phishing attempts, your driver's license number is an especially high risk. Scammers can use your number to open financial accounts in your name, create fake IDs, change your mailing address, or generate an entirely new identity to commit fraud. Driver's license numbers are also sold on the dark web.
What to do if your data were included in the breach
As TechCrunch reports, AssuranceAmerica is expected to send notices to affected consumers starting on July 10, so if you've held a policy with the company, you should keep an eye on your mailbox. Even if you don't receive a letter, you should still take precautions if AssuranceAmerica has any of your data. Look for subtle signs of identity theft. All of the usual recommendations, like ensuring your credit is frozen, setting up fraud alerts, and keeping a close eye on your financial accounts, apply here.
What do you think so far?
There are additional steps to protect your identity when your driver's license number has been exposed. Experian advises running a background check on yourself as well as requesting your driving record to spot any fraudulent or criminal activity carried out under your identity. You may be able to request a new license number from your state's department of motor vehicles if you have a police report or evidence that yours has been used fraudulently.
At this time, AssuranceAmerica doesn't appear to be offering any credit monitoring or identity theft protection services, though you can sign up for these if you want help keeping track of activity on your accounts.
