Urban One, Inc. urban1.com Urban One data breach 2019: what happened and what to do
Urban One discovered an incident on February 28, 2019 in which names, addresses and Social Security numbers may have been improperly accessed. It notified people by mail from March 28, 2019 and offered 24 months of identity protection.
View all 13,115 breaches- Breach date
- 28 Feb 2019
- Made public
- 5 Apr 2019
- Data exposed
- Names, Physical addresses, Social security numbers
- Last updated
What happened
Urban One, the media company behind radio stations and TV One, filed a breach notice with the California Attorney General on April 5, 2019. It said it discovered the incident on February 28, 2019. Its investigation found that names, addresses and Social Security numbers may have been improperly accessed.
The notice said up to 1,217 California residents may have been affected. That is California only, and Urban One did not publish a total across all states.
What was exposed
Names, addresses and Social Security numbers. That combination is what identity thieves need to apply for credit, file a tax return or open accounts in someone else's name, and the harm can show up months or years later.
Why Social Security numbers matter
A password can be changed in a minute. A Social Security number can't, so the risk lasts. Criminals can use it with a name and address to open credit cards, take out loans, or file a fake tax return and claim the refund. Urban One's notice did not say the data was misused, but it did offer protection because the exposure itself is the risk.
Urban One's response
Letters went out by first-class mail starting March 28, 2019. Urban One offered MyIDCare identity theft protection through ID Experts at no cost, including 24 months of credit and CyberScan monitoring.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Enroll in the monitoring if you got a letter
The notice came with instructions for 24 months of free MyIDCare protection. Check whether the code still works.
- 2
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
Place a free freeze at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, separately at each. It blocks most new accounts opened in your name, and you can lift it when you apply for credit yourself.
- 3
Watch for tax and credit fraud
Check your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com. If a tax return is rejected because one was already filed in your name, report it to the IRS and consider an IRS Identity Protection PIN.
- 4
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 details show up in a new leak.
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Urban One data breach?
Urban One sent letters to people whose information may have been accessed. If you got one, you were included.
What was exposed in the Urban One data breach?
Names, addresses and Social Security numbers may have been improperly accessed.
Should I freeze my credit?
If you got the letter, yes. A Social Security number was involved, and a freeze is free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Sources
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