Verizon Security Breach: Steps to Take to Protect Yourself

A security lapse at Verizon has exposed data from millions of Verizon customers - leaking names, addresses and personal identification numbers (PINs). Steps to protect your identity and account information.

A security lapse at Verizon has exposed data from millions of Verizon customers – leaking names, addresses and personal identification numbers (PINs).

If you are a Verizon customer you should immediately change your account PIN.  You can do this by editing your profile online, calling customer service at (800)922-0204, or visiting a Verizon retail store with proof of identity.  Why is this important?  Your security PIN is a four-digit number that protects your account.  It is used by Verizon to verify a customer’s identity and allow account access.

Once you have updated your Verizon PIN,  MASSPIRG Consumer Action Center recommends that consumers update any other accounts where the same PIN has been used. Remember, it is never a good idea to reuse PINs or passwords. You should strive to use unique PINs for each account and update your PINs every year or so.

 

Working in cooperation with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, the MASSPIRG Consumer Action Center in Weymouth resolves disputes between consumers and businesses through negotiation and mediation on a wide range of issues, including automobile sales and repair, home improvement transactions, debt collection and credit problems, retail sales and advertising, and landlord-tenant disputes, among others. As a cost-free, independent agency dealing specifically with consumer problems in Massachusetts, MASSPIRG’s Consumer Action Center is a vital asset to consumers in the BayState. Since 1989, the CAC staff have mediated over 15,000 complaints and returned over $3,500,000 to Massachusetts consumers. If you have a consumer problem, please call our office at 781-335-0280.

Authors

Jeanne Foy

Director, Consumer Action Center, MASSPIRG

Jeanne is the director of MASSPIRG's Consumer Action Center, working in cooperation with the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office to provide consumer information, assistance and referrals. Jeanne was part of a collaborative effort to author and publish CAR SMART: A Consumer's Guide to Buying, Leasing and Repairing a Car in Massachusetts. Jeanne lives on the South Shore of Massachusetts with her family, where she enjoys reading, cooking and being near the ocean.