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IDT911 and the Identity Theft Resource Center Announce More Than 6,000 Breaches Reported Since 2005SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2005, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) began monitoring and tallying the ever-growing number of U.S. security breaches. Since then, with ongoing support from IDT911™, the organization has seen a 397 percent increase in data exposure incidents across financial services, business, education, government and healthcare sectors. This week, the ITRC's Data Breach List hit a milestone of 6,013 reported data breach incidents. So far in 2016, nearly 6.2 million records have been compromised – adding to the more than 851 million records exposed over the last decade. Although no two breaches are exactly alike, a common thread is the exposure of personal identifying information (PII), with 32.7 percent of breaches compromising Social Security numbers (SSNs) and nearly 13 percent exposing credit or debit card information. The healthcare sector was single-handedly responsible for 16.6 percent of the 245.2 million records exposing individuals' SSNs – offering low-hanging fruit to identity thieves, particularly during tax season. The IRS experienced a 400 percent surge in tax-related phishing and malware incidents during January and February of this year[1]. SSNs are the golden ticket – the most critical piece of information – for fraudsters to effectively impersonate another individual. "Tax refund fraud continues to rise creating almost unbearable issues for victims nationwide," said Eva Velasquez, CEO of ITRC. "It is our belief that the 575 healthcare breaches since 2010[2] –that have exposed more than 142 million social security numbers – are contributing to this increase". The business sector, on the other hand, has accounted for 13.6 percent of 122.8 million records leaked with credit or debit card details, following high-profile hacks of major retailers like Target and Home Depot. Additional data points across all five sectors, from 2005 to present, include: Business
Education
Government
Financial Services
"From hotel chains, medical centers and healthcare insurers to universities, retailers and the government, data breaches have become the third certainty in life – disrupting and endangering lives as well as damaging the reputations and balance sheets of countless organizations," said Adam Levin, chairman and founder of IDT911 and author of Swiped. "Companies need to create a culture of privacy and security from the mailroom to the boardroom. That means making the necessary investment in hardware, software and training. Raising employee cyber hygiene awareness is as essential as the air we breathe. Similarly, consumers should be on high alert and practice the 3 M's: minimize their risk of exposure, monitor their accounts and manage the damage in the event they are compromised." To learn more about IDT911 and how its services can help attract and retain customers, create a new revenue stream and increase brand loyalty, visit www.idt911.com. For additional information, please visit: http://www.idtheftcenter.org/. About IDT911™ About the ITRC® [2]Actual number of breaches in the Medical/Healthcare industry since 2010 totals 1,315. Of these, 575 incidents involved Social Security numbers. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160411/353868-INFO To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/idt911-and-the-identity-theft-resource-center-announce-more-than-6000-breaches-reported-since-2005-300249904.html SOURCE IDT911 |