Debt Collector Agency FBCS Data Breach: 3 Million Affected

Debt collection agency Financial Business and Consumer Solutions (FBCS) has recently announced that over 3.2 million individuals may have had their personal information compromised in a recent data breach. The incident, discovered on February 26, 2024, involved unauthorized access to certain systems in the FBCS network between February 14 and February 26.

The exposed data includes a range of sensitive information such as full names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, state ID numbers, medical claims information, provider information, clinical information, and health insurance details.

FBCS took immediate steps to secure the impacted environment and launched an investigation with third-party computer forensics specialists. In its official statement, FBCS clarified, “Although FBCS has no evidence of the misuse of any individual’s personal information, we provide details of the incident and our investigation.” The company began notifying potentially impacted individuals on May 29, offering them 24 months of free credit monitoring and identity restoration services via CyEx.

According to SecurityWeek, the breach notification was not delayed due to a law enforcement investigation but because FBCS was conducting its own probe. The company initially reported that 1.9 million people were affected, but subsequent updates to the Maine Attorney General revealed the total number had risen to over 3.2 million.

Despite the seriousness of the breach, FBCS has not disclosed specifics about the nature of the cybersecurity incident, and no known ransomware or data extortion groups have claimed responsibility. The company has reassured its customers that it has implemented additional safeguards in a newly built environment to prevent future breaches.

FBCS, which handles debt collection for sectors including healthcare, student loans, auto loans, and credit industries, advised affected individuals to remain vigilant against potential identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits statements, and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity.

This data breach at FBCS is one among many recent incidents affecting major organizations across various industries. Earlier this year, the UnitedHealth fiasco involved a significant ransomware attack. Furthermore, the Ticketmaster data breach we recently reported also stands out as a serious incident affecting consumer information.