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
Donโt Miss Out!
Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!
Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:
786 thoughts onNational Public Data class actions allege company responsible for data breach affecting billions
My identity and other personal info is among the those who were affected by National Public Data and as a result I suffered a financial set as my social security dispersement was rerouted to a bank in Wichita Kansas and not to my bank
I was notified by Experian yesterday September 10,2024 my social security number was found on the dark web also! Please add me to the class action lawsuit!
I received an email from Experian stating that my Social Security number has been leaked to the dark web by National Public Data. I wish to join the class action lawsuit.
My info released and hacked ssn and all please se d me info to file
Both my wife & I received notices that our ssnโs were exposed in this breach. How do we join the class action lawsuit. It is very wrong that this company had the audacity to our personal information without our knowledge. Equally bad is that they then had the audacity to lose it to the dark web.
I was just notified by Experian my info was compromised and I want in on this class action suit.
My information was breached from the National Public Data. I was notified by the Identity Protection company IDnotify. I would like to be added to this class-action and have recently received bank notifications from a bank that I never opened and am currently looking into why I have been receiving statements
I just got an alert that I was affected by this breach- how do I get on the class action lawsuit?
Received an alert stating that my Social Security information was found on the dark web from National Public Data. What can I do about this?
My ss was in the NPD data breach were they got my social security #. I did put a freeze on all 3 however credit reports it still shows they went in yesterday and todayโs. So im not sure what the freeze is for. My information along with social security on the dark web information.
Thanks