About an hour ago, WLTX broke a story about hackers. It seems foreign hackers have broken into the Department of Revenue’s computers in the state of South Carolina and stolen 3.6 million social security numbers — from a state with 4.7 million residents. Essentially, if you’ve paid taxes since 1998, your information has been compromised.
It gets worse — they’ve also stolen hundreds of thousands of credit card numbers.
I called the Department of Revenue who answered the phone, “It’s a great day in South Carolina, how can I help you?” and proceeded not to know anything about the breach. Fortunately, she talked to someone else who I think googled it and found the news story that had a different number to call. I called the number provided, which was for Experian, and got the following information:
They do not know whose information in particular has been stolen. The breach in which the info was taken happened end to mid September and the state learned about it October 10th. They’re working with law enforcement so there shouldn’t be a problem for anyone.
In addition, the state of SC is providing one year free credit monitoring and ID protection through Experian for everyone who may have been breached. They will be mailing out access codes to the protectmyid website or you can sign up on the phone through the 866-578-5422 number. I signed up over the phone and it was relatively painless.
I don’t know how necessary the signing up thing is, but I feel like if something did happen the state would be more responsive to me if I’d shown an interest in protecting myself. The website is sort of questionable — it lists all my student loans twice for some reason. That was a number I didn’t like seeing.
Perhaps SC should invest in proper IT specialists instead of spending it’s legislative capital on phone greetings.
There will be a briefing 1:30 EST
http://www.wltx.com/video/breakingvideo.aspx
Ashley's co-blogger is a third year student at Northwestern University who runs on coffee and snark. . At some point, she'd like to make people sit on couches and tell her about their feelings, but right now she writes in different places around the internet and makes silly faces when she doesn't know what to say. She's the president of her local Secular Student Alliance affiliate, and she is on the Secular Woman speakers bureau. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Secular Student Alliance
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Sylvia Patterson
October 26, 2012 at 10:02 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
While you may have been able to contact recommended number 866-578-5422 is only available during certain hours but should be available round the clock is until this is resolved. Possibility of id theft and I have to wait until business hours!!
Sylvia Patterson
October 26, 2012 at 10:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I called the number provided by new stations and state officers. Got a message that I should call back and gives me business hours. We have been hacked and we have to wait until business hours. Phones should be manned around the clock until resolved.
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January 22, 2013 at 4:06 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
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April 7, 2013 at 1:10 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Hackers this time.Oh my, these people seems so emotionless.Glad to know that you came across the news and did some updates coz even the one who answered you seems no knowledgeable about the issue. .
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