Data Brokers Expose 218,000 Victims' Details, Prompting 5 Protection Steps

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 13

Five steps led the new guidance: search people-search sites, replace guessable security answers, limit sign-up data, warn older relatives and use data-removal services.
Public records and routine consumer sign-ups — including property filings, voter rolls, loyalty programs and warranty cards — let brokers build profiles even when people use strong passwords and 2FA.
Those profiles can make scams far more convincing by supplying addresses, relatives and old locations for fake calls, texts or emails that sound personal.
Past cases show the scale: InfoUSA reportedly sold a 19,000-name elderly list tied to more than $100 million in theft, while Epsilon-related fraud hit 218,000 victims for over $23.7 million.
The broader warning is that privacy risk now extends beyond hacked accounts, making ongoing broker cleanup part of basic scam prevention.