Thousands of Social Security Numbers stolen in Tennessee

An individual often doesn't know their identity has been stolen until either they get denied for a loan or a debt collection agent attempts to recover money that was fraudulently spent. By this time, the credit score of the consumer is usually damaged and may take years to rectify. Credit bureaus can often be of great help to victims of theft. Thousands in Tennessee might want to consider working with a consumer credit bureau to monitor and amend their credit histories because of a large-scale hacking scheme that resulted in the leak of thousands of Social Security numbers. Hack attack in Tennessee Computerworld recently reported a hacking organization, Spex Security, claimed to be behind a cyber attack on a Tennessee county school system network. The names, SSNs, birthdates and other personal information of around 110,000 people was thought to have been stolen from Clarksville-Montgomery County School System. The majority of the information belongs to former or current students and employees of the region. The organization had already posted the information of 14,500 individuals on public websites and has expressed they will continue to expose more data, the source reported. Spex Security posted a message to Pastebin.com claiming the act is to punish Tennessee citizens for government actions and a faulty education system. Clarksville Police are currently working to shut down the websites where the information is being posted and notifying affected families, Computerworld explained. The department is assuming a number of the people affected have or will have their identities stolen because of the public posting. After theft has occurred Consumer credit bureaus can plan to be contacted by consumers in areas that have been affected by a thief who has stolen personal information. The Federal Trade Commission's website suggests the first thing a potential victim should do is consult with bureau workers about their options. The best step to take is often placing a fraud alert on credit reports. The source explained this can bar a criminal from opening new lines of credit under an individual's name. The FTC also reported when a fraud alert is placed on a person's credit report at one bureau - TransUnion, Experian or Equifax - the company communicates with the other two to ensure all-around protection. Any of the three providers should prepare for a request to give a free report to the affected individual.