We have often warned about the ways in which companies and government agencies subject people to risk of identity theft when they allow data breaches to occur. Unfortunately, this week the Environmental Protection Agency admitted that, due to a data breach, the EPA exposed the personal information nearly 8,000 people. Although the breach occurred in April, the EPA waited until this week to alert the public.
Highlighting the danger of this breach, the exposed personal information includes Social Security numbers and bank routing numbers. The victims of the breach are approximately 5,100 EPA employees and 2,700 “other individuals” (likely contractors who work with the EPA). If you are victim of this breach and you believe your personal information has been disclosed and used in an unauthorized manner, please contact us immediately to discuss your legal options.