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Hawaii_Jake's avatar

What does it mean if personal information was found on the dark web?

Asked by Hawaii_Jake (37732points) October 23rd, 2019

I have a credit monitoring service that is free from a credit card I carry. They regularly scan several web sites on the dark web for personal information. A piece of my information was just found there. What does that mean? And what should I do if anything? What can I do realistically?

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3 Answers

flutherother's avatar

Identity thieves use the Dark Web to buy and sell personal information. If you have ever been a victim of a data breach, the Dark Web is a place where your sensitive information might live. If your information is there, criminals can potentially use it to commit fraud. There have been numerous hacks in recent years that have allowed the details of vast numbers of people to be compromised. What action to take, if any, depends on the type of personal information involved.

elbanditoroso's avatar

Probably nothing you can do, except to change passwords on whatever account(s) were compromised.

Your name/SSN/other stuff was likely bought and sold a dozen times from one broker to another. You’ll never eradicate all of the groups who have control of your data.

Get annual credit reports, keep an eye on financial transactions, and play defense. That’s really about all you can do.

gorillapaws's avatar

It’s not a bad idea to check https://haveibeenpwned.com/

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