Almost everyone's details have been in a breach. Criminals buy the lists and use the real details to make scam email believable: your actual name, your address, the store you really shop at, sometimes an old password.
Live from Inbox Hero
Real totals across every inbox Inbox Hero protects: emails checked, flagged as suspicious, scams blocked and AI-written emails spotted. Updated Oct 28, 9:01 AM PT.
| Checked | Flagged | Blocked | AI-written | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | 1,271 | 4 | 3 | 484 |
| Last 30 days | 36,743 | 26 | 11 | 1,514 |
What the follow-up scams look like
- The fake breach notice. "Your data was exposed. Click to secure your account." The link goes to a fake sign-in page.
- The fake settlement or refund. "You are owed compensation from the class action." It asks for bank details "to pay you".
- The old-password threat. An email showing a real old password and claiming to have recordings of you. It is a bluff built from breach data.
- "Verify your identity". Using your real address and birthday to sound official, then asking for your Social Security number or a code.
What to do
- Go to the company's site yourself (type the address) rather than using the email's link.
- Change any password that was reused, and turn on 2-step verification.
- Freeze your credit at the three bureaus; it is free and stops new accounts being opened.
- Treat any email that "already knows" your details with more suspicion, not less.
Filter them out
Breach follow-ups still have to send you to a fake page or ask for something. Inbox Hero checks where every link really goes and whether the sender is who it claims, and quarantines clear scams into a Fraud folder on Gmail, Yahoo, AOL and iCloud. If your parents' details were in the same breach, protect their inbox too.
Frequently asked questions
Will I get scam emails after a data breach?
Very likely. Breached details are sold and used to personalise phishing, fake refund and fake breach-notice emails.
Is a data breach notification email real?
Sometimes. Do not use its link: go to the company's website yourself or call the number you already have to confirm.
A scam email showed my real old password. What do I do?
It came from a breach. Change that password everywhere it is used, turn on 2-step verification, and ignore the threat. Do not pay.
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