Data breach · February 2014

Was I in the Tesco breach?

Data listed as coming from Tesco, a UK supermarket chain, dates from February 2014 and holds 2,239 accounts. It included passwords, reward program balances and email addresses. If you had an account there by February 2014, 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.

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01

What happened?

In February 2014 login details for Tesco accounts, including usernames and passwords plus loyalty card balances, were posted on Pastebin. The origin of the data was not clear, but many people confirmed that the login details worked on the Tesco site.

The record notes that the company disputed this, or that where the data came from was not confirmed. It is listed here because the data is in monitored breach databases.

Organisation
Tesco, a UK supermarket chain (tesco.com)
When it happened
February 2014
Added to monitored breach databases
13 February 2014
Accounts in the data
2,239
What was exposed
passwords, reward program balances and email addresses
02

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

  • Your passwordpasswords

    The password for this account was in the data, either as written or in a stored form that can often be reversed when the password is short or common. Anyone with the list can try it on your email, bank and shopping accounts.

  • Bank and money detailsreward program balances

    Account numbers, balances and payment history let a scam call or email quote facts that only your bank should know.

  • 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. Change the password, and every reuse of it

  • Change your Tesco password if the account still exists. Then change the same password on every other account where you used it, starting with your email.
  • Use a different password for each account. A password manager makes that practical: it creates long passwords and remembers them for you.
  • Turn on a second sign-in step, such as a code from an app or a security key, for your email, bank and social accounts. Your email comes first, because every password reset goes to it.

2. Tell your bank and watch the account

  • Watch your statements for payments you did not make, and tell your bank about the breach.
  • If someone calls quoting your account details, hang up and call the bank on the number you already have.

3. 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.

4. 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).

5. 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 2014

All breaches Breaches from 2014 Breaches that exposed passwordsBreaches that exposed bank and money details