On September 19, 2024, Wells Fargo filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Vermont after discovering that a former employee accessed customer information without authorization for fraudulent purposes. In this notice, Wells Fargo explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive information, which includes their names, Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, driver’s license numbers, bank account numbers, credit/debit card numbers, brokerage account numbers, and loan or line of credit numbers. Upon completing its investigation, Wells Fargo 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 Wells Fargo, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. 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 Wells Fargo data breach. For more information, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What Caused the Wells Fargo Data Breach?
The Wells Fargo data breach was only recently announced, and more information is expected in the near future. However, Wells Fargo’s filing with the Attorney General of Vermont provides some important information on what led up to the breach. According to this source, Wells Fargo recently learned that a former employee had accessed and, in some cases, used customer information for fraudulent purposes.
In response, Wells Fargo reported the incident to law enforcement and then launched an investigation. In July 2024, Wells Fargo’s investigation revealed that the former employee was able to access confidential information belonging to certain individuals between May 2022 and March 2023.
After learning that sensitive consumer data was accessible to an unauthorized party, Wells Fargo reviewed the compromised 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, address, date of birth, phone number, email address, driver’s license number, bank account number, credit/debit card number, brokerage account number, and loan or line of credit number.
Wells Fargo recently 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 Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo is a financial services company with its headquarters in San Francisco, California. Wells Fargo provides a wide range of services, including retail banking, investment management, mortgage lending, and more. Wells Fargo employs more than 222,544 people and generates approximately $83 billion in annual revenue.
