Allianz Life Data Breach Hits 1.4M Customers Through Social Trick

Guess what? 1.4 million individuals just had their own information pilfered in a massive data breach. And no, it wasn't some sophisticated hacker attack. It was done because somebody got duped. Yeah—just some clever con artists using people skills to trick people.

What Went Wrong?​

Allianz Life, an insurance-selling and money-planning company, had an issue. One of their business partners (a vendor) was tricked by hackers. As a result, a ton of personal information was swiped—such as names, dates of birth, and even Social Security numbers.
Ever have someone lock your house, and they forget? That's basically what went down here.

How Did the Hackers Do It?​

The hackers didn't break into computers. They conned a person. Possibly they sent false emails or impersonated someone. Whatever it was, it paid off.

Here's what was taken:

• Names
• Birth dates
• Social Security numbers

It wasn't Allianz's own system that got hacked—it was their vendor's. But individuals are still impacted—more than 1.4 million of them!

Should You Be Worried?​

If your information was included in this breach, yes, you should be cautious. Here's what I'd do:

• Put your credit on freeze (It's free and prevents others from opening new accounts in your name)
• Update your passwords (particularly if you use the same one on a lot of websites)
• Be careful of scurrying emails or texts attempting to fool you once again

Why This Terrifies Me More Than Normal​

This is worse than some hacks. Why? Because we share our personal info with companies, and they share it with other companies that can't even detect a fake email? Not cool.

This Allianz Life hack teaches us one big lesson: you don't have to hack into a computer to steal information—just phish the right person. If you're insured or sharing your personal information online, ensure your trusted companies are actually doing so.