Data breach: Experian identifies files, criminal case under investigation

Credit bureau Experian says it has identified files on the internet which it believes contain its data, after a data breach.

“We continue to investigate these files and will take all steps available to us to reduce further dissemination if possible.

“We can confirm that a criminal case was opened last week in South Africa and the matter is now in the hands of law enforcement,” the company said in a statement.

The SA Banking Risk Information Centre (Sabric) announced two weeks ago that Experian suffered a data attack which exposed some personal information of as many as 24 million South Africans.

Sabric said nearly 800,000 business entities have also fallen prey to a “suspected fraudster”.

Experian said at the time that an individual in SA, purporting to represent a legitimate client, fraudulently requested services from Experian.

“The services involved the release of information which is provided in the ordinary course of business or which is publicly available,” Experian said two weeks ago.

On Wednesday, the company said its priority remained to support consumers and businesses in SA.

“When we first became aware of the fraudulent incident we took immediate steps to make sure that individuals and businesses in South Africa could take steps to protect themselves.

“The fraudster obtained business information on some South African business entities. We reiterate however, that no sensitive consumer credit or financial information was obtained by the fraudster in this incident,” Experian said.

The company also advised any individual who has concerns about their data to check their credit report by visiting www.mycreditcheck.co.za, which they can do for free, for life.

“They will also receive free SMS alerts when a credit enquiry is made on their credit report from now until 1 March 2021.”

TimesLIVE