Afni, Inc. afni.com Afni data breach: what happened and what to do
Afni, a debt collection and customer-service company in Bloomington, Illinois, found an intrusion on June 7, 2021. Its notice says names, addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth may have been accessible. It began notifying people in July 2022.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- 7 Jun 2021
- Made public
- 11 Jul 2022
- Data exposed
- Names, Physical addresses, Social security numbers, Dates of birth
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
What happened
On June 7, 2021, Afni noticed unusual activity on its computer network. Its investigation found that an unauthorized person had gotten into certain systems on or before that date and may have viewed or taken data. Afni then spent about a year reviewing the files to work out whose information was involved. It finished that review on June 3, 2022, and began sending notice letters on or about July 11, 2022.
Afni is a business that collects debts and handles customer service for other companies, so many people on its list never dealt with it directly. If you got a letter, it came because a company you did business with used Afni.
Sources checked: oag.ca.gov, wglt.org, consumer.ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What was exposed
Afni's notice says your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth may have been accessible. That combination is what identity thieves need to open credit in someone else's name. It also lets scammers write a convincing letter, call or text that quotes real details.
Afni said it had no sign of actual or attempted identity theft or fraud from the incident. It offered affected people 12 months of credit monitoring and identity theft protection through Equifax, free of charge.
The company's response
Afni hired outside cybersecurity specialists, reviewed its systems and notified affected people. Afni later proposed a $1.8 million settlement of a class action over the incident, according to local reporting by WGLT.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Use the free credit monitoring if you got a letter
Enroll with the activation code in your notice. The FTC recommends taking credit monitoring a company offers after a breach.
- 2
Freeze your credit
A credit freeze is free and stops lenders from seeing your report, which blocks most new accounts in your name. Place it separately at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Lift it when you apply for credit yourself.
- 3
Check your credit reports
Look for accounts or inquiries you don't recognize at annualcreditreport.com, the free official site.
- 4
Be wary of messages that mention the breach or a debt
Don't pay or give details to anyone who contacts you first. Look up the company yourself and call its official number.
- 5
Report misuse
If someone uses your details, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan.
- 6
Check what else is out there
Run a free Serus scan to see whether your email or phone number appears in this and other breaches. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your details show up. It can't remove breach data, so the steps above are what protect you.
Official filings
- Washington Attorney General , filed 11 Jul 2022 : 3,818 people
Timeline
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The breach happened
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The company made it public
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Reported to the Washington Attorney General
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Afni data breach?
If you were, Afni sent you a notice letter by mail starting in July 2022. If you didn't get one but dealt with a company that uses debt collection or customer service vendors, you can ask that company whether Afni held your data.
What information was exposed?
According to Afni's notice, your name, address, Social Security number and date of birth may have been accessible.
Is there a settlement?
Afni proposed a $1.8 million settlement of a class action in September 2023, according to WGLT. Check the settlement notice for who qualifies and the deadlines.
Should I freeze my credit?
Yes, if your Social Security number was involved. A freeze is free and you can lift it any time.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
