Almost 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Customers Had Their Data Leaked
Jane Lu
· 3 min read
Mercedes-Benz
has recently been affected by a data breach that left customers with their personal information stolen. As car technology
evolves, and automakers implement more over-the-air updates for car software, these security issues will have to be addressed. According to a
media release
from Mercedes-Benz USA, the sensitive information of less than 1,000 customers were leaked to a cloud storage platform. Here are more details about what was leaked in the data breach, and what you should do if you’re affected.
What information was leaked from Mercedes-Benz customers?
The information leaked includes self-reported credit scores, some driver license numbers, social security numbers, credit card information, and birth dates. Mercedes-Benz reported that only a small number of sensitive personal information was leaked, but this is still concerning for consumers.
Data from customers and interested buyers, even if they were just browsing the automaker’s site, were both leaked. Information entered between Jan. 1, 2014 and June 19, 2017 were compromised. If you suspect that your information has been stolen, you might want to contact Mercedes-Benz so you know what data was taken.
How is Mercedes-Benz offering to help affected customers?
As of June 24, when the data breach was announced, Mercedes-Benz found no evidence that customer information had been misused. The company’s media release reported that a malicious user would need to have "special software programs and tools" to access the information.
Mercedes-Benz USA has started to notify customers. Those who’ve had their sensitive information stolen, like credit card information or SSN, will be offered a free 24-month subscription for a credit monitoring service. Mercedes-Benz USA will also notify government agencies.
Information from Volkswagen customers had also been stolen recently
This news comes after an announcement from
Volkswagen
that 3 million customers had their information stolen. Compared to VW, the Mercedes-Benz leak might seem like it only affects a small handful of people, but having your financial information stolen is a serious problem. The data can be used to create accounts in your name and for other acts of identity fraud. If you are affected by the data breach, it’s important to find out what information was stolen by contacting the company. You’ll also want to take up the offer of free credit protection to monitor your finances.
To protect yourself if your information was stolen, you should change your online logins and passwords and keep watch of your accounts for suspicious activity. Your credit score can affect everything from your
car insurance rates
to your loan terms on a mortgage. It’s important to keep your data safe. If you’re looking to save money on car insurance,
Jerry
can help. The free app uses bank-level security to compare quotes. Jerry will help you get the best price on the coverage you need without you having to worry about having your data stolen.
