Fidelity data breach confirmed affecting 77,000 customers

Fidelity Data Breaches Overview:

• WHO: Fidelity Investments confirmed that it suffered a data breach in August that exposed the personal information of more than 77,000 of its customers.
• Why: Fidelity attributed the data breach to a third party using two recently created customer accounts to gain unauthorized access and obtain certain information.
• Where: The data breach affected Fidelity customers across the country.

Fidelity Investments confirmed that it suffered a data breach in August that exposed the personal information of more than 77,000 of its customers.

In one submission With the Maine Attorney General's Office, the financial services company said the data breach began on August 17, 2024 and was discovered on August 19, 2024. The data breach was attributed to a third party who used two recently created customer accounts to access and obtain certain information without authorization.

Fidelity said it immediately took steps to stop the unauthorized access upon its discovery and began an immediate investigation into the incident with the help of third-party security experts.

“We take this incident and the security of your data very seriously. … Upon discovering this activity, we took immediate action to stop the activity and resolve this incident.”

This is what Fidelity says in its sample letter to consumers.

Fidelity data breach exposed information from a “small subset” of customers, the company said

Fidelity said the information exposed in the data breach belonged to a small subset of the company's customers, adding that the incident did not involve unauthorized access to customer accounts.

The company says it is not aware of any misuse of personal information compromised during the data breach, but has arranged for customers to sign up for a free 24-month credit monitoring and identity recovery service with TransUnion subsidiary TransUnion Interactive.

“This service allows you to monitor your credit reports and identify unusual activity that could affect your personal financial situation,” Fidelity’s sample letter states.

Fidelity Investments Life Insurance Co. reported a separate data breach earlier this year that the company said may have compromised the personal information of more than 28,000 of its customers.

The company said the data breach occurred in October 2023 and was caused by an unauthorized third party Obtaining customer information held by third party provider Infosys McCamish Systems.

Are you affected by the Fidelity data breach? Let us know in the comments.

Read more about class action lawsuits and class action settlements: