The Texas Department of Transportation has confirmed a data breach involving the personal information from nearly 300,000 crash reports.
On May 12, TxDOT said in a news release that it identified unusual activity within its crash reporting information system. An investigation revealed an individual account was compromised and used to improperly access and download crash reports.
Those potentially affected by the data breach have been sent a letter about what steps should be taken to protect their information.
“Your personal information was identified in one of the accessed crash reports and may include your first and last name, mailing and/or physical address, driver’s license number, license plate number, vehicle make and model, car insurance policy number and other information such as injuries you may have sustained, and a narrative description of your crash,” the TxDOT letter states.
Disabling access to the comprised account, continuing to investigate that account and implementing additional security measures to prevent future incidents are steps TxDOT said it’s taking.
Individuals who receive the written correspondence are asked to call a toll-free dedicated assistance line at 833-918-5951 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time Monday through Friday.
TxDOT also advised letter recipients to be aware of emails or text messages related to crash information and to not provide anyone with personal information such as social security number or bank account information.
Monitoring credit reports and/or freezing credit are additional steps that can be taken.
Surge of scams
Reports of phishing scams largely targeting toll customers have been numerous in recent months, with transportation officials in more than a dozen states offering guidance.
“Scammers are becoming more sophisticated and using fear tactics to get people to click on fake links or provide personal information,” Idaho DMV Administrator Lisa McClellan said.
If you receive a text, do not click on the link. Block the sender. If you receive a phone call, hang up and block the caller. You can also report scam texts, calls or emails to the Federal Trade Commission as well as the Internet Crime Complaint Center. LL
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Based in New York, Stephen Freeman is a Senior Editor at Trending Insurance News. Previously he has worked for Forbes and The Huffington Post. Steven is a graduate of Risk Management at the University of New York.