At least 3,000 Asian Texans targeted in driver's license breach
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) — The Texas Department of Public Safety said they suffered a security breach that has put the personal information of at least 3,000 Texans of Asian descent at risk.
The security lapse was discussed during a Texas House Committee hearing on Monday and many people in North Texas could be impacted by this.
DPS Chief Steve McGraw said no systems were hacked, but the state mistakenly shipped thousands of duplicated driver's licenses to a Chinese organized crime group based in New York.
McGraw told lawmakers that the criminals were able to obtain people's personal information through the dark web, then those details were used to request replacement licenses through the state's online portal.
The groups specifically targeted Texans of Asian decent with the hopes of illegally selling their IDs to Chinese nationals who match their description.
"We're not happy at all, I can tell you that, one bit, they should have had...controls should have been in place," McGraw said.
He said this incident remains under investigation, and that there may still be more victims—some who will be notified in letters sent out this week.
Anyone who suspects suspicious behavior is urged to report it on the state's iWatchTexas website.