Identity Theft Lawyer: Protecting Your Rights and Restoring Your Credit

Identity Theft Lawyer

Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft: How a Lawyer Can Help

When a company experiences a data breach (see list of data breaches below) your personal information might end up on the dark web. This is a serious threat that can lead to identity theft, causing significant financial, emotional, and reputational damage. If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, it’s crucial to take immediate action and consider hiring a lawyer to protect your rights.

What Is Identity Theft and How Does It Affect You?

Identity theft is the unlawful use of your personal identification information by criminals. This can include your Social Security number, credit card details, bank account information, and other sensitive data. Once your information is on the dark web, it can be misused in several ways:

  • Financial Fraud: Criminals might use your information to open new accounts, take out loans, or make unauthorized purchases. This can severely damage your credit score and financial reputation. Additionally, identity thieves can file fake tax returns or even collect unemployment benefits in your name.
  • Privacy Invasion: Personal details such as your home address, phone number, and medical records can be exposed. This may lead to harassment, blackmail, or other forms of abuse.
  • Reputational Harm: If sensitive information, such as private communications or embarrassing photos, is leaked, it can harm your personal or professional reputation.
  • Ongoing Threat: Even if you change passwords or close accounts, your information might still be vulnerable, as it can be sold repeatedly on the dark web.

How Our Law Firm Confronts Identity Theft

At our law firm, we understand the devastating impact of identity theft and work tirelessly to help victims recover. Our approach involves aggressive litigation to hold both the perpetrators and negligent companies accountable. Here’s how we help:

  • Credit Score Restoration: We work diligently to remove fraudulent charges from your credit report and restore your credit score to its rightful standing.
  • Seeking Damages: We assist you in seeking compensation for the financial losses and reputational harm caused by identity theft.
  • Legal Protections: We use federal laws such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) to dispute fraudulent charges and prevent debt collectors from pursuing debts that aren’t yours.
  • Credit Freeze Assistance: We can help you place a security freeze on your credit report with all three major credit bureaus, preventing further fraudulent activity.
  • Ongoing Support: Our support doesn’t end with your case. We provide continuous assistance to ensure your financial recovery and long-term stability.

Take Control of Your Identity Today

Don’t let identity theft ruin your life. Our law firm is here to help you recover your identity, restore your credit score, and hold those responsible accountable. With our expert legal support, you can reclaim your financial stability and peace of mind.

Contact us today for a consultation and take the first step towards protecting your future.

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Consider Dark Web Monitoring
Dark web monitoring is a service that scans for your personal information across hidden websites and forums where identity thieves often trade stolen data. This service is crucial, as identity thieves can use your information to commit various illegal activities, such as fraud or identity theft.

Recent Data Breaches

  • AT&T (2021/2024): A massive data breach originally occurring in 2021 was re-exposed in 2024, affecting 73 million AT&T customers. Compromised data includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and, in some cases, Social Security numbers and birthdates.
  • AT&T Phone Numbers (2022): Cybercriminals accessed customer data from a third-party platform, including text and call logs from May to October 2022. While call and text content was not exposed, compromised phone numbers increase the risk of phishing and smishing attempts.
  • Cloud Storage Breach: Weak passwords or pins have led to data theft, exposing employee credentials and customer information, including email addresses, usernames, and passwords, from numerous global corporations. Phishing attacks have been confirmed.
  • Facebook (2019): Personal information of millions of Facebook users, including phone numbers, birthdates, and email addresses, was leaked online by a hacker forum user. This breach, initially from 2019, could still be exploited by cybercriminals.
  • RockYou2024: On July 4, 2024, Cybernews researchers found a file with 10 billion unique passwords on a popular hacking website. This increases the risk of identity theft or cyberattacks for affected individuals.
  • Ticketmaster: A breach has potentially compromised the personal information of nearly 560 million customers, including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and order history.
  • United Health Group: A ransomware attack threatens the personal information of nearly one-third of its customers. Some stolen data, which includes personal and protected health information, has already been published on the dark web, with more threatened if the ransom is not paid.

Prior Data Breaches

  • CafePress: Multiple sources reported a possible breach of CafePress Inc., an American online retailer. As a result, customer information has been found on the dark web.
  • Canva (2019): After a breach on May 24, 2019, Canva requested users to change their passwords and reset their Auth tokens for accounts connected to partners.
  • Chegg (2018): Chegg reported a breach in September 2018, affecting 40 million users. Exposed information includes shipping addresses and email addresses, increasing the risk of spam, scams, and phishing.
  • DoorDash (2019): On May 4, 2019, DoorDash detected unauthorized access to user data affecting 4.9 million consumers. Compromised data includes names, email addresses, delivery addresses, phone numbers, and hashed/salted passwords.
  • EatStreet (2019): On May 17, 2019, EatStreet discovered unauthorized access to its database. Exposed data includes restaurant partner information, such as names, addresses, and bank account details.
  • Evite (2019): A data breach in April 2019 led Evite to require all users to change their passwords. Users can reset their passwords via the “Forgot Your Password” link on the Login page.
  • Poshmark (2019): Poshmark announced a data breach on August 1, 2019, that compromised user passwords. All users were required to change their passwords by September 9th.
  • MGM Resorts (2019): Personal information of 10.6 million MGM Resorts guests from 2017 and earlier was exposed on a hacking forum, including full names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and dates of birth.
  • ShinyHunters: A hacker group uploaded 386 million user records stolen from 18 companies to a hacker forum. The exposed data includes email addresses, hashed passwords, names, and phone numbers.
  • Zynga (2019): On September 12, 2019, Zynga announced that player account information was compromised, including usernames and passwords for certain games like Draw Something and Words with Friends. No financial information was believed to be accessed.