Bank of America Warns Customers of Potential Data Breach
Bank of America Corp. (BAC) has alerted a select group of customers about a potential data breach, raising concerns about the security of sensitive information. The breach, which may have exposed personal details and Social Security numbers, stems from the improper handling of confidential documents by a third-party document destruction service provider.
According to a statement from the bank, the incident occurred on December 30, 2024. “A document destruction vendor did not secure bank-related materials appropriately in transport,” the statement explained. “Some documents were found outside of the secure containers on the exterior of the financial center.”
While the exact scope of the breach remains undisclosed, officials have confirmed that at least two customers in Massachusetts were affected.
Details of the Data Breach
The information potentially exposed in the breach includes customers’ names, financial account details, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, gender, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other unique government ID data.
Bank of America’s Response
This recent incident is not the first time Bank of America has faced data security challenges. In January 2024, a similar breach occurred where data of at least 414 customers were exposed through another third-party vendor’s mishandling of data.
In response to the latest breach, Bank of America is providing complimentary membership to an identity-theft protection service for two years to those customers potentially impacted. This measure aims to mitigate the potential harm caused by the breach and restore customer confidence.
These repeated incidents underscore the vulnerabilities in the bank’s data security protocols and the risks associated with third-party service providers. The bank is taking steps to manage the impact of these breaches and regain customer trust.
