National Public Data data breach class action overview:ย
- 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. โ doing business as National Public Data โ allege that the companyโs systems were breached in April 2024.ย
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.ย
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 โUSDoDโ was behind the attack and had posted the database containing 2.9 billion records for sale online for $3.5 million.ย
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.ย
They also claim National Public Data obtained much of the data from non-public sources without the knowledge or consent of the individuals involved.ย
The lawsuits allege that by collecting and profiting from this data, the company assumed a duty to protect it โ 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.ย
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.ย
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.ย
Were you affected by the National Public Data breach? Let us know in the comments.ย
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.ย
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807 thoughts onNational Public Data class actions allege company responsible for data breach affecting billions
With supposedly 2.9 billion peopleโs data stolen I donโt see how this doesnโt affect everyone in the United States. This is nuts. Never heard of this company before I got the alerts.
Was just notified this morning that my SSN was found on the dark web by Norton. I did not give NPD this information nor should they have been so careless with this information. I would love to be included in any legal action against this irresponsible company
All my information, my Dadโs information and my deceased Momโs information has been hacked.
My ss and other info has been compromised in this security breach.
My SSN info was compromised and this company is to blame, as action should have been taken to secure our info!
I too was warned recently by several of my banks which offer me credit and data tracking. They found all the details necessary to open any account they want under my name, or gain access to any existing account. Iโve since had to put fraud alerts on my credit reports but even those only last 1 year, and what happens after that?
I go12 alerts through discover last week saying that my ss# was on dark web and my Norton security sent same warning the next day, all said from national public data, I have froze my credit and went to social security office, I am really sick of this, I need representation
National Public Data breach included every identifying data on me DOB, SSN, full name, address, phone number. Notification from LastPass, Experian. Microsoft and others. Public Data Claims they have removed my data but have my doubts and if they did itโs a little late.
I tried to post this, but nothing happened when I tried to post.
I had my information leaked also. I was notified in an email from my bank that my Social Security number were leaked in a data breach.
I locked down my accounts the same day. Someone had tried to reopen a closed card account, and put over $500 on it.
Alerted two separate times at the end of July 2024 & beginning of Aug., by my bank, that my SSN has been found on the dark web although I never provided nor consented to the use of my SSN by National Public Data.
I wonder if this why I receive even more spam calls and emails.