Chowbus chowbus.com Chowbus data breach: what happened and what to do
In October 2020 the food delivery app Chowbus had a data breach in which over 800,000 records were emailed to customers. HIBP counts 444,224 unique email addresses, plus names, phone numbers and physical addresses.
View all 13,115 breaches- Breach date
- 5 Oct 2020
- Affected
- 444,224
- Data exposed
- Email addresses, Names, Phone numbers, Physical addresses
- Verified
- Yes
- Last updated
Source: Have I Been Pwned (CC BY 4.0)
Chowbus, an Asian food delivery app, had a data breach in October 2020. Customers received emails with a link to a file of customer data.
What happened
According to news reports, customers began receiving emails on 5 October 2020 that linked to downloadable files. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) says the data held over 800,000 records, which contained 444,224 unique email addresses. Chowbus's CEO told customers the data had been illegally accessed and that card numbers were not exposed, because payments run through a third-party processor. The company did not say how the intrusion happened.
What was exposed
Physical addresses, names, phone numbers and email addresses.
What it means for you
There were no passwords in the data HIBP lists, so this one is mainly about phishing and scam texts. A criminal who knows your name, phone number and delivery address can write a convincing fake delivery problem or refund message. Be wary of anything that references a Chowbus order.
How to check your exposure
Search your email address on Have I Been Pwned, which holds this dataset. If your address is listed, your name, phone number and delivery address were probably in the file too. Delete any message that asks you to confirm an order by clicking a link, and open the app directly instead.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Expect phishing and text scams that mention the breach
Treat unexpected emails, calls and texts that use your name, phone number or address with suspicion. Don't click links in them. Go to the company's site by typing the address yourself.
- 2
Watch your Chowbus account
Check recent orders for anything you didn't place. If you reuse your Chowbus password elsewhere, change it as a precaution.
- 3
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free Serus scan. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your data shows up, so you hear about new exposures early. It can't remove data from a breach, which is why the steps above matter.
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Chowbus breach?
Check your email on Have I Been Pwned. If Chowbus is listed, your address was in the data.
Were card numbers exposed?
The company said credit card numbers were not compromised. HIBP lists no payment data for this breach.
Should I change my password?
HIBP lists no passwords in this breach, but changing a reused Chowbus password is a cheap precaution.
Sources
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