National Public Data data breach class action overview:
- Who: National Public Data has been hit with three class action lawsuits by U.S. residents.
- Why: The plaintiffs say the company was responsible for their data being exposed in a breach.
- Where: The National Public Data class action lawsuits were filed in Florida federal courts.
National Public Data, a background check company that aggregates billions of records, is facing three separate class action lawsuits in the aftermath of a significant data breach that exposed the personal information of countless people.
The three lawsuits, each filed in Florida federal courts in the first week of August, accuse the company of failing to protect sensitive data from a cyberattack that happened earlier this year.
The complaints, brought against Jerico Pictures Inc. — doing business as National Public Data — allege that the company’s systems were breached in April 2024.
2.9 billion records stolen
According to the lawsuits, the data breach led to the theft of personally identifiable information belonging to millions of individuals.
The stolen data, which included full names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and even family history, was reportedly put up for sale on the dark web, the plaintiffs allege.
The breach was first reported on June 1, 2024, by VX-Underground, a cybersecurity research group, one of the complaints states.
VX-Underground claimed that the cybercriminal group “USDoD” was behind the attack and had posted the database containing 2.9 billion records for sale online for $3.5 million.
The research group also confirmed the authenticity of the data. Despite the scale of the breach, National Public Data has yet to publicly acknowledge the incident or notify affected individuals directly, the lawsuits state.
National Public Data failed to secure information, lawsuits claim
The four named plaintiffs in the lawsuits argue that the company failed to adequately secure the sensitive information it collected, leaving it vulnerable to unauthorized access.
They also claim National Public Data obtained much of the data from non-public sources without the knowledge or consent of the individuals involved.
The lawsuits allege that by collecting and profiting from this data, the company assumed a duty to protect it — a duty the company did not live up to, the plaintiffs say.
One of the plaintiffs, James Thomas Jones of Florida, says he discovered in late July that his personal information had been compromised.
Jones says he was alerted by Experian that his data had been found on the dark web following the breach. He states that he never provided his information to National Public Data and that the company scraped his information from non-public sources without his consent.
As a result, the plaintiffs are seeking to represent classes of U.S. residents whose personally identifiable information was compromised in the breach.
They are suing for negligence and breach of implied contract and are seeking certification of the class action lawsuits, damages, fees, costs and orders requiring National Public Data to enhance its cybersecurity practices. The lawsuits also seek jury trials.
Were you affected by the National Public Data breach? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiffs are represented by Kopelowitz Ostrow Ferguson Weiselberg Gilbert and Markovits, Stock & Demarco LLC; and Morgan & Morgan Complex Litigation Group and Chimicles Schwartz Kriner & Donaldson-Smith LLP.
The National Public Data breach class actions lawsuits are Lowanda Wilcox v. Jerico Pictures Inc., Case No. 0:24-cv-61418-AHS; Barry Cotton et al., v. Jerico Pictures Inc., Case No. 0:24-cv-61396-MD and James Thomas Jones v. Jerico Pictures Inc., Case No. 0:24-cv-61412-XXXX, all in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
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736 thoughts onNational Public Data class actions allege company responsible for data breach affecting billions
Just got 4 emails from experian stating NPD gave away my ssn on the dark web.
Hello,
I have been subject to seven (7) losses of my personal information that is “non-public.” I have printed all seven of the known sharing of my information from national public data. I would like to join the class action lawsuit immediately please.
I HAVE RECEIVED EMAIL…”INFORMING ME THAT..’NATIONAL DATA BREACH”…I HAVE CONTACTED EXPERIAN,
EQUIFAX AND TRANSUNION….” HOW DO I PROTECT THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS BREACH? WHO SENT THIS EMAIL?
PLEASE ADD ME:
I got this notice to and that I’m on dark web as well I froze my account through all three credit bureau’s
I am being bombarded by spam emails, some which makes into my regular email. I have IDme and was just informed TODAY that this company looked on the dark web and my SSN was found. What was their reasoning for doing this, other than a company/creditor is requesting additional information on you . I should be informed as to what company/creditor that paid them, and the reason why. I dont know if they can obtain info on your savings such a your IRA, Roth, TSP on the dark web in order to trace any additionl monies you may have other than what is public. Just got an email prior to the announcement that they looked on the dark web and located my email address, thus the reason for so much spam. And my DOB. They claim they look at public websites, but I think it’s dirty that they also resort to using the dark web. I suspect this is how “they” got hacked, by leaving a door open. Companies should be banned from using this. Where can I apply to add my name in the hat?
Both my wife and I were just notified by MyIDCare that are social security numbers and addresses were found on the dark web as a result of the National Public Data breach. Please enter both of us as plaintiffs on the class action suit.
Experian has notified me that my Social Security number has been found twice on the dark web and date of birth once on the dark web due to this data breach. Please add me.
I received 5 alerts from Experian that my SS #, D.O.B, name and email address were found on the dark web due to this data breach. I never gave National Public Data any personal information let alone permission to use my info. Please add me
National Public Data has yet to publicly acknowledge the incident and my information has been found to be on the dark web. I want to be included for settlement review
Apparently one of my a counts was hacked and my SS number stolen. This is so upsetting to me. What can one do when they live OVERSEAS?
i have been advised, my social security number, birthday, email address all have been found on the dark web.
PLEASE ADD ME