Precautions to take as a victim of the Virgin Media data breach

There are some precautions to take as a victim of the Virgin Media data breach that we recommend that you should follow through with.

As well as joining the compensation action for justice, you should be careful about being targeted by criminals who may wish to use information exposed in the breach against you. We know that the data was accessed during the breach period and it may be that it could be used by someone with malicious intentions.

Here’s a little guidance for you.

Simple precautions to take

If you’re a victim of the Virgin Media data breach, here are some simple precautions to take to make sure that you don’t fall victim to criminal activity.

First, change your passwords associated with your Virgin Media account. Although passwords were not compromised in the attack, as far as we know, it doesn’t stop criminals trying to break into accounts nonetheless. Those who re-use passwords for more than one account, or don’t use strong passwords, could be at a greater risk. Change your passwords and make sure they’re strong and unique; never re-use them for more than one account.

Make sure to be wary of any contact you receive. This is especially the case for contact from persons who say they’re from Virgin Media and may even say it’s about the data breach. In the 2015 TalkTalk hack, criminals used data stolen from the cyberattack to pose as TalkTalk staff to dupe people into handing over money and access to accounts. If you’re ever in doubt, end the conversation and find a telephone number online from the official website and call them back. The same goes for replying to emails or text messages. Never hand over personal data if asked.

Given that some customers had contract data exposed that may link them to explicit websites, there’s a chance that they could be targeted for scams and extortion crimes. This is something to be extra careful about as well.

Finally, keep an eye on your accounts. Monitor for suspicious activity like unusual logins, changes, or transactions for accounting ones. Although no financial data was thought to have been exposed in this breach, it only takes a little information for hackers to be able to break into other accounts in some cases.

It’s always best to be vigilant.

Why you should be careful

These kinds of precautions to take can be important. It may feel over the top, but no one should ever underestimate the lengths that criminals and hackers will go to when it comes to stealing money and information.

During the 10-month breach period from April 2019 to February 2020, we know that at least one unknown third-party accessed the exposed information. It remains unknown as to who they are or what they intend to do with the data, or what they may have already done with it.

There’s no way, at the moment, to know for sure that the unknown third-party is not someone who will abuse the data. Criminals use the same techniques security researchers do to find information to abuse. As such, people need to be careful.

Making a claim for compensation

As well as knowing the kinds of precautions to take, make sure you understand your rights to justice as a victim of the Virgin Media data breach.

If your information has been exposed in the cybersecurity event, you could be entitled to make a claim for compensation for any distress caused by the loss of control of your personal information. You could also be able to claim for any losses and expenses incurred too. As long as you have received confirmation that you’re affected by the breach, you should be eligible to join our growing compensation action.

To sign-up and start your legal case today, just go to the main part of the website here and complete the forms.

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The content of this post/page was considered accurate at the time of the original posting and/or at the time of any posted revision. The content of this page may, therefore, be out of date. The information contained within this page does not constitute legal advice. Any reliance you place on the information contained within this page is done so at your own risk.