AG’s Office Settlement with Experian-owned Company Over Theft of Personal Information
A multi-state settlement has been decided with Experian Data Corp (EDC) for failing to warn affected consumers after it learned that an identity thief was posing as a private investigator and reviewing sensitive personal information from Court Ventures Inc, a database that Experian had purchased. The Delaware Attorney General says Experian was notified of the existence of the identity thief by the US Secret Service in 2012 – before it purchased the company and the identity thief continued after the purchase, but affected consumers were not notified. The individual has since pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges. This settlement will help protect the personal information of Delawareans moving forward. Experian has agreed to injunctive relief and a payment of $1-million to resolve the multi-state investigation.
Additional information from the AG’s Press Release:
Under this resolution, joined by a group of 40 states, EDC has agreed to a series of provisions designed to strengthen its security and reporting practices, including:
- Strengthening its vetting and oversight of third parties that it allows to access personal information;
- Investigating and reporting data security incidents to the Attorneys General;
- Maintaining a “Red Flags” program to detect and respond to potential identity theft; and
- Implementing certain personal information safeguards and controls, including encryption or its equivalent for personal information on their network and in transit.
Delaware, which assisted with the investigation, will receive $20,000 from the EDC settlement.
Joining Attorney General Jennings in today’s settlement are the Attorneys General of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
