Total Quality Logistics tql.com Total Quality Logistics data breach: what happened and what to do
Total Quality Logistics (TQL) said it confirmed a breach of its systems on February 23, 2020. Carriers using TQL were told bank account and tax ID details in their accounts may have been exposed. No total has been published.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- 23 Feb 2020
- Data exposed
- Bank account numbers, Tax identification numbers
- 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
Total Quality Logistics, one of the largest freight brokerages in the U.S., told carriers in February 2020 that hackers had breached its IT systems. TQL said it confirmed the breach on February 23, 2020. Some affected carriers weren't told until February 27. A TQL spokesperson later said it wasn't a malware or ransomware attack.
The breach also appears on California's Attorney General list, with a reported date in spring 2020. No total number of people has been published.
Sources checked: overdriveonline.com, thetruckersreport.com, databreaches.net
Last verified against the official page:
What was exposed
Trade press reported that carriers were told information in their TQL accounts, including tax ID and bank account numbers, may have been accessed. TQL urged carriers to assume that bank and tax ID details were at risk. It said fewer than 20 carriers had been identified where theft through ACH (bank transfer) payments may have occurred.
A trucking company owner filed a lawsuit in federal court in Ohio, saying TQL didn't maintain reasonable security.
What that means for you
If you're a carrier or owner-operator, a bank account number and tax ID can be used to try to redirect payments or to open accounts and file returns as you. Fraudsters also impersonate brokers to ask carriers to change payment details, so verify any such request by calling a number you already have.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Talk to your bank
Tell your bank the account number may have been exposed. Ask whether to close it and open a new one, and watch for ACH debits you didn't authorize.
- 2
Verify any change in payment details
If a broker or shipper asks you to change where you get paid, call back on a number you already have before you do.
- 3
Protect your tax ID
Report misuse of your tax or Social Security number at IdentityTheft.gov. Consider the FTC's guidance on freezing your credit.
- 4
Expect messages that mention the breach
Messages that mention TQL, loads or payments are the likeliest follow-up. Don't click links or call numbers in them. Go to the company's own website instead, as the FTC advises.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free Serus scan. It checks breach databases for your email, phone and other details, and Serus keeps watching and alerts you when they show up in a new leak.
Official filings
- California Attorney General , filed 2 Apr 2020
Timeline
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The breach happened
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Reported to the California Attorney General
Frequently asked
When did the TQL breach happen?
TQL said it confirmed the breach on February 23, 2020 and told some affected carriers on February 27.
What was exposed?
Carriers were told bank account and tax ID numbers in their TQL accounts may have been accessed.
How many people were affected?
No total has been published.
Sources
- overdriveonline.com/business/article/14897467/news-roundup-feb-27-tql-data-breach-potentially-exposed-carriers-bank-account-numbers
- thetruckersreport.com/news/serious-data-breach-load-board-reported-tax-ids-bank-accounts-exposed
- databreaches.net/2020/03/22/tql-faces-lawsuit-over-data-breach/
- oag.ca.gov/privacy/databreach/list
- consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
- identitytheft.gov/databreach
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