ChoicePoint
Disclosed Feb 15, 200521 years ago163,000 affectedSettled
Data broker sold records of 163,000 consumers to identity thieves posing as clients
ChoicePoint sold consumer reports on more than 163,000 people to fraudsters who posed as legitimate businesses, leading to at least 800 cases of identity theft according to the FTC. The case helped drive US state breach notification laws.
What is known
| People affected | 163,000 (as reported by the organization) |
|---|---|
| Disclosed | Feb 15, 2005 |
| Attack | Insider |
| Data exposed | Names, Social Security numbers, Financial, Addresses |
| Sector | Data brokers · US |
| Status | Settled |
| Lawsuit or fine | $10M FTC civil penalty plus $5M consumer redress (2006) (about $15M) |
Sources
| Source | |
|---|---|
| Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: A Chronology of Data Breaches Since the ChoicePoint Incidentweb.archive.org · News | News |
| ChoicePoint Settles Data Security Breach Charges; to Pay $10 Million in Civil Penalties, $5 Million for Consumer Redressftc.gov · Regulator | Regulator |
| ChoicePoint to pay $15 million over data breachnbcnews.com · News | News |
Notices filed
| Where | Filed | People |
|---|---|---|
| Researchtotal | Feb 15, 2005 | 163,000 |
History of this record
- 2026-09-25 · added · seed source
First seen 2026-09-25 (Research), confirmed by Research. Record counts are as reported. Not legal advice.