Data breach · February 2015

Was I in the Flashback breach?

Flashback is a Swedish online forum. Its breach happened in February 2015 and exposed 40,256 accounts. It included government ID numbers, home addresses and email addresses. If you had an account there by February 2015, check your address below to see whether it is one of them.

Breach record last updated . Steps read from the government pages at the foot of this page.

Check your address Read the steps
01

What happened?

In February 2015, internal data on members of the Swedish forum Flashback was published through the tabloid Aftonbladet. The data was allegedly sold to the paper by a group known for unmasking anonymous users it sees as trolls. The data included social security numbers, home addresses and email addresses.

Organisation
Flashback, a Swedish online forum (flashback.se)
When it happened
February 2015
Added to monitored breach databases
12 February 2015
Accounts in the data
40,256
What was exposed
government ID numbers, home addresses and email addresses
02

What was exposed, and what does it mean for me?

  • Government ID numbersgovernment ID numbers

    With an ID number, someone can try to open credit, claim benefits or file a tax return in your name.

  • Identity detailshome addresses

    A home address makes a scam letter or a fake delivery notice look genuine. With a date of birth from another breach, it is most of what a lender asks for when someone opens credit in your name.

  • Your email addressemail addresses

    Expect messages that look like they come from this service or another one you use, written to get you to click a link or sign in on a fake page.

03

What should I do now?

In this order, for what this breach exposed.

1. Treat the ID number as known

  • Watch for mail about accounts, benefits or tax filings you did not start.
  • In the US, if your Social Security number was among them, ask the IRS for an identity protection PIN. Nobody else can then file a tax return with your number.
  • In Canada, if your identity is used, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre lists Service Canada (1-800-622-6232) and the Canada Revenue Agency (1-800-959-8281) among the calls to make.

2. In the US: freeze your credit at all three bureaus

  • Place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It is free to place and to lift, and it does not affect your credit score.
  • If you would rather not freeze, a fraud alert lasts one year. You ask one bureau and it tells the other two.
  • If someone uses your details, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan.

3. In Canada: check your credit file and lock it

  • Get your credit report from Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada. Both give it free online.
  • In Ontario, both bureaus must offer a security freeze free of charge, and each bureau is a separate request.
  • If you live in Quebec or Ontario, Equifax Canada will lock your credit report at no charge, online, by phone or by mail. Ask TransUnion Canada separately.
  • If your details are used to open an account, call your bank, report it to both bureaus, report it to your local police and get a file number, then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501).

4. Expect phishing

  • Be wary of messages that urge you to act fast, ask for personal details, or link to an address that is slightly off.
  • If a message might be genuine, do not use its links or phone numbers. Go to the site by typing its address yourself.
04

Is my address in it?

Enter your email address. We check that one address against monitored breach databases and show which breaches list it and what each exposed.

No account needed. We keep the address you check, when, and how many breach records it was found in, to prevent abuse, until you ask us to delete it. Privacy

Sources

Where does this come from?

Other breaches from 2015

All breaches Breaches from 2015 Breaches that exposed home addressesBreaches that exposed government ID numbers