What you need to know about recent data breaches

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Recent data breaches have left many Ohioans vulnerable. Here's what you need to know.

Just days ago, Rite Aid went public with its discovery of an "incident" that involved "certain consumers' personal information." The company said that in June, an unknown third party accessed the names, addresses and birth dates of an undisclosed number of customers.

Just a few days before that -- and just months after announcing the discovery of another incident -- AT&T also announced a recent incident late last week, affecting nearly every one of its cellular network customers. This is the second breach in a matter of months.

The telecommunications company said hackers stole six months' worth of call and text message records of millions of people.

AT&T said the content of those conversations, as well as personal information, was not accessed, but the stolen data did include phone numbers, potentially leaving millions of people vulnerable to malicious activity once again.

Earlier this year, Better Call 4 spoke with the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio about data privacy and the risk for consumers when that privacy is breached.

"Often times, it's a long term process," BBB of Central Ohio President Judy Dollison said. "So, you don't even know that they've had access to your information and that they've started taking out credit in your name until a lot of damage has been done."

Dollison encouraged consumers to be vigilant in monitoring their accounts and statements. She said its best to check regularly for any charges or names that do not sound familiar.

Again, AT&T said no significant information was compromised in the latest breach. The most the hackers got their hands on was phone numbers and call patterns. But the BBB said that still creates cause for concern, and the data haul will provide scammers with ammunition to hatch new schemes, or more targeted, imposter scams.

These scams can happen both over the phone and online, so Dollison warns users to be wary of unfamiliar links.

"If it sounds like it's coming from a friend, pick up the phone and call that friend and say, 'Was this really you?'" Dollison said. "In general we say don't click on links that are unfamiliar or unsolicited, that come to you (when) you're not looking for the information."

Dollison said unsolicited links frequently contain malware or spyware that can harm consumers.

Rite Aid said it is mailing letters to any potentially affected consumer, and it even opened a toll-free assistance line for anyone with additional questions about the incident. You can call (866) 810-8094 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday – Friday. This line will remain open until October 15, 2024. Rite Aid consumers who did not receive a letter regarding this incident can still call the assistance line to double-check if they were affected.

AT&T said it launched an investigation and is working with law enforcement to arrest anyone involved.