On August 3, 2023, Freedom Debt Relief, LLC filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Montana after discovering that certain documents containing confidential consumer information were subject to unauthorized access. Freedom Debt Relief explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, Social Security numbers and creditor account numbers. Upon completing its investigation, Freedom Debt Relief began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification from Freedom Debt Relief, LLC, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. As we’ve mentioned in previous posts, data breaches that put your Social Security number in the hands of hackers put you at a significantly increased risk of identity theft and other frauds. However, there are steps you can take to mitigate these risks. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft as well as discuss your legal options following the Freedom Debt Relief data breach.
What Caused the Freedom Debt Relief Breach?
The Freedom Debt Relief data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Freedom Debt Relief’s filing with the Attorney General of Montana provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, on May 9, 2023, Freedom Debt Relief was notified of a data security issue. Evidently, client information was inadvertently made accessible to other clients on Freedom Debt Relief’s client dashboards.
Freedom Debt Relief launched an investigation into the incident. This investigation confirmed that on October 27, 2022, which was when the company launched its new dashboard system, some clients were able to access confidential information belonging to other clients.
In response, Freedom Debt Relief revoked all unauthorized access and corrected the authorization process. Freedom Debt Relief then reviewed the affected files to determine what information was leaked and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, Social Security number and creditor account number.
On August 3, 2023, Freedom Debt Relief sent out data breach letters to anyone who was affected by the recent data security incident. These letters should provide victims with a list of what information belonging to them was compromised.
More Information About Freedom Debt Relief, LLC
Founded in 2002, Freedom Debt Relief, LLC is a financial services company based out of Tempe, Arizona. Freedom Debt Relief works with consumers to consolidate their various debts, enabling them to make one monthly payment. Since the company’s inception, Freedom Debt Relief has served more than 850k clients, resolving over $15 billion in debt. Freedom Debt Relief employs more than 2,000 people and generates approximately $1 billion in annual revenue.