Advance America class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff John Wilkinson filed a class action lawsuit against Advance America Cash Advance Centers Inc.
- Why: Advance America allegedly failed to adequately safeguard sensitive consumer data, leaving it vulnerable to a February 2023 data breach.
- Where: The Advance America class action lawsuit was filed in South Carolina federal court.
- How to find help: Consumers who received a data breach letter informing them their information was compromised in a cybersecurity incident may qualify to participate in a free data breach class action lawsuit investigation.
A consumer hit Advance America Cash Advance Centers Inc. with a class action lawsuit in the wake of a data breach that allegedly exposed the Personal Identifiable Information (PII) of those who used the companyโs loan services.
Advance America is a company that provides cash advances and other loan services in the United States.
Plaintiff John Wilkinson Advance America claims recently informed him of the data breach, which reportedly took place around Feb. 7. An unauthorized user allegedly gained access to the companyโs business records, including consumersโ Social Security numbers and other PII.
Advance America data breach result of negligence, lawsuit says
Wilkinson alleges the Advance America data breach is a result of the companyโs alleged failure to maintain a security system to adequately protect consumersโ PII. He claims the loan company failed to take basic security measures, such as encrypting sensitive consumer information.
Wilkinson says he is concerned unencrypted PII may end up for sale on the dark web or fall into the hands of other unauthorized individuals.
โDue to [Advance Americaโs] negligence, cybercriminals obtained everything they need to commit identity theft and wreak havoc on the financial and personal lives of thousands of individuals,โ the Advance America data breach class action states.
Despite knowing about the data breach in February, Wilkinson claims the company failed to notify those affected until the middle of August.
He notes data breach victims are at an โimmediate, imminent and heightened risk of all manners of identity theftโ and will likely have to spend time and money to mitigate the damage.
Wilkinson filed the Advance America class action lawsuit on behalf of himself and a proposed class of others whose PII may have been accessed in the Advance America data breach. There are other class actions in the works over the data breach, as well.
This isnโt the first class action lawsuit Advance America has faced. In 2010, the company agreed to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it charged illegal fees and excessively high interest rates.
Were you affected by the Advance America data breach? Tell us about your experience in the comments.
Wilkinson is represented by Elizabeth Dalzell of Shealey Law Firm and William B. Federman of Federman & Sherwood.
The Advance America data breach class action lawsuit is John Wilkinson v. Advance America, Cash Advance Centers Inc., Case No. 6:23-cv-04347-DCC, in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Greenville Division.
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283 thoughts onAdvance America class action alleges loan provider could have prevented data breach
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They were definitely hacked. I work for Advance America and the entire system was down for 3 weeks. Came in to work one day and every computer had been compromised. The only file accessible was a ransom note the hackers left behind with an onion link to go to for negotiations. I guess they didnโt give in to the demands because every computer in every center had to be replaced with new ones. They told employees to NOT discuss it or face termination. We also could not tell customers anything. All we could say was that the system was down for maintenance. Hell, even employee information was compromised and I got one of those letters too.
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Please add me. I had loan with Advanced America
Please sign me up. I left a comment but Iโm not sure if you received it. Iโm just checking to make sure that it went through.
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Iโm in michigan, and a loan was taken out fraudulently in my name. They refuse acknowledge that I had nothing to do with this loan, and I also authorized then to pursue the unauthorized loan legally. This loan is now incorrectly posted on my credit report and has significantly affected my credit score.
I received a letter and they are just wanting to give you credit protection for 1 year. Please add me
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Please include me as I used them a few years ago.