Report: 200M SSNs Exposed In Data Breach At Experian Unit

COSTA MESA (CBSLA.com) — Investigators are looking into allegations of a major data breach linked to an Orange County-based credit reporting agency, according to reports Friday.

KNX 1070's Mike Landa reports the personal data of millions of Americans, including Social Security numbers, may have been stolen from the Experian data firm.

Attorneys General from Illinois, Connecticut, and several other states were reported to be taking part in the investigation of Costa Mesa-based Experian, which is best known for its consumer credit services.

According to Landa, prosecutors believe a data firm acquired by Experian may have been compromised by Vietnamese national Hieu Ngo, who pleaded guilty last month to running an underground website offering the personal data of Americans, which officials say could potentially be used for identity theft or financial fraud.

As many as 200 million Social Security numbers may have been compromised, Reuters reported.

Company officials would not comment on the investigation, according to reports.

Experian was hired by retailer Target to provide free credit monitoring services to its clients following the theft of 40 million card numbers and 70 million other pieces of customer data in a breach announced last December.