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Driver’s license numbers were exposed for over a month in a data breach recently announced by insurer Geico.
Geico reportedly sent a warning letter to affected consumers and a data breach notice to California’s attorney general. The insurer says that it has fixed the issue that led to the security breach, reports TechCrunch, but consumers need to be on the lookout for fraud, specifically when it comes to unemployment benefits.
Geico’s notice states that the data breach occurred between Jan. 21 and March 1, 2021. The insurer says that identity thieves were able to access customers’ driver’s license numbers and can use that information to fraudulently apply for unemployment benefits. In fact, the company says it has reason to believe that the driver’s license numbers exposed in the months-long breach could be used for this purpose.
“If you receive any mailings from your state’s unemployment agency/department, please review them carefully and contact that agency/department if there is any chance fraud is being committed,” warns Geico in its data breach notification to customers dated April 9.
The company goes on to offer a year of identity theft protection to customers affected by the Geico data breach.
While Geico has not stated how many customers were affected, companies must notify the California attorney general of data breaches when more than 500 state residents are affected, reports TechCrunch.
Fraudulent unemployment claims have been on the rise since the coronavirus pandemic put millions out of work. At least one state had to halt claims processing after it was inundated with fraudulent unemployment claims that totaled $1.6 million, according to a Seattle Times report.
Bank of America has faced multiple class action lawsuits after it allegedly cut off access to unemployment benefits, citing fraud concerns.
Driver’s license numbers may be a form of identification required by unemployment departments to process claims. Fraudsters can use driver’s license numbers exposed in data breaches or otherwise stolen to apply for unemployment benefits under an assumed identity. Indeed, state departments of motor vehicle records have been targeted in cyberattacks this year, with the driver’s license numbers and other personal information of 27.7 million Texans exposed, according to a class action lawsuit.
There were more than 1,000 data breaches affecting more than 150 million records in 2020 alone. No litigation in the Geico data breach has been reported, but Top Class Actions will continue to monitor this story.
Was your information exposed in the Geico data breach? Are you concerned about unemployment fraud? Tell us about it in the comment section below!
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31 thoughts onGeico Warns Consumers of Months Long Data Breach
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I have had Geico for about 2 years until 09/2021. Please add me
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Please add me. I was a victim. Someone tried to file unemployment under me. I found out from my work. Thank you
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May ID was compromised by geico data breach recently as of yesterday a bank account was open online as well as unemployment claim my job was called directly. Please add me
I have Geico and I’m in CA
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Yes I live in South Carolina and have been a Geico customer for over 5 years. I received a letter recently from unemployment that I filed unemployment and I did not. My states unemployment office is investigating but when I called Geico I was brushed off and told to call my state unemployment office