By Sarah Krueger, WRAL reporter
Capital One customers have become the victims of one of the largest data breaches in history.
The personal information of about 100 million people in the U.S. was stolen, which is roughly a third of the population.
The data includes Social Security numbers, phone numbers, bank account numbers, credit scores and more.
Robert Goldfinger is a financial crimes expert with BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, which has offices in Research Triangle Park.
The company helps prevent data breaches like the one at Capital One.
“Why do (hackers) do this?” he said. “They do this because there’s money in it for them. They can sell the information on the dark web. And No. 2, they can feed their egos.”
Goldfinger says financial institutions invest a substantial amount of money trying to keep their data safe.
Experts say consumers should also be proactive, including:
- Regularly reviews of your credit report
- Frequent password changes on your accounts
- Keeping an eye on credit and other accounts, where personal data can be exposed.
Goldfinger said consumers should also check their social media accounts as well.
Capital One customers said they are wary.
The banking giant says it will notify customers if they are affected by the breach.
“Now that I know (about the hack), I’m definitely worried,” one customer said. “For sure.”
Said another customer named Jaclyn: “I provided my confidential information assuming it was safe. So, it’s kind of scary.”
