Teleperformance Breach

Teleperformance began its operations in 1910 in Paris, France, as a customer service management company. The company founded its United States division in 1993, which is situated in Salt Lake City, Utah. It generates an average of $602 million in annual revenue. With over 500,000 employees (more than 3,159 in the U.S.), Teleperformance provides customer care, customer acquisition management, social media services, debt collection, technical support, and other services to corporate businesses in many countries.

In November 2022, the company discovered it was the subject of data in which certain sensitive personal data was unlawfully accessed by an unauthorized party. Law enforcement was immediately notified of the development while an investigation into the matter commenced. During its investigation, with the help of engaged cybersecurity experts, Teleperformance realized that the unauthorized third party copied sensitive information from the company's internal data. These included the personal information of certain individuals, including their names, addresses, and social security numbers (SSNs). Several individuals were impacted by this breach.

When Was the Teleperformance Data Breach?

Although the Teleperformance data security breach was detected on November 4, 2022, the company did not contact individuals whose information was involved until December 7, 2022. In the Data Breach Notification letters, Teleperformance informed the affected persons about the breach and what they should do to protect themselves against fraud, especially identity theft. The company offered the affected individuals a complementary 24-month membership of Identity Works—Credit IB by Experian, a product that provides identity detection and identity theft resolution.

How to Check If Your Data Was Breached

You will know if your personal information was compromised in the Teleperformance data breach of November 2022 if you received a notification letter about the incident from the company. However, if, by chance, the company did not send you a letter and you are keen to find out if your data was breached, you can contact Teleperformance through any of its official communication channels. In addition, search your inbox for emails from the company regarding the incident you may have missed. Also, browse the Teleperformance website for possible information about the breach.

What to Do If Your Data Was Breached

If your personal information was affected by the Teleperformance data breach of November 2022, the first thing you should do is accept the free credit monitoring and identity theft services offered by the company. You can do this by activating your membership to enjoy credit monitoring, identity restoration, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. It is also important that you change all your passwords and security questions on your online accounts/profiles without waiting to notice any suspicious activity. In addition, you should ensure best practices by remaining vigilant and carefully reviewing your accounts for any suspicious activity. If you detect any suspicious activity on your accounts, make sure to notify your financial institution and relevant government agency immediately.

Are There Any Lawsuits Because of the Data Breach?

As of June 2024, no lawsuit has been filed against Teleperformance in connection with the company's data security breach of November 2022.

Can My Teleperformance Information Be Used for Identity Theft?

Yes. Any personal information you have in Teleperformance's database can be used for identity theft if compromised. For instance, you could be at risk of identity theft and other related fraud if your name, social security number, address, and email address become exposed to a data security breach.

What Can You Do to Protect Yourself Online?

Despite Teleperformance's efforts to protect the privacy and personal information of its employees, customers, suppliers, clients, and business partners, it was a victim of a data breach incident in November 2022. This emphasizes the need to take personal responsibility for protecting your sensitive private information, regardless of what the company providing you one or more forms of services offer you in terms of data protection. The best ways to safeguard yourself against the increasing cybersecurity issues online include the following:

• Secure your home Wi-Fi network and avoid using public Wi-Fi networks, especially where you are required to provide personal or financial information while surfing the internet.
• Activate multi-factor authentication on your online accounts/profiles for added security.
• Create lengthy, unique, and strong passwords that combine letters (lower and upper case), numbers, and special characters.
• Be cautious of sophisticated phishing attempts that look like legitimate emails from reputable companies at first glance. You can recognize such emails by the senders' use of unfamiliar greetings, poor grammar, sudden urgent requests, requests for personal/financial information, suspicious email addresses, and malicious or unexpected links and attachments.
• Install firewall protection and antivirus software to protect your smartphone, PC, and other internet devices from worms, viruses, and ransomware. Also, make sure to keep your devices and software updated.
• Enroll in a reliable credit monitoring service. This will help you track changes that occur in your credit file.
• Avoid entering personal or financial information on any insecure sites. You can identify a secure website with URLs beginning with https and a padlock symbol on the website.
• Keep up with the latest internet developments and cyber threats and learn how to use the best standard security practices to avoid falling victim to identity theft through IDStrong.