Data Breaches in Pittsburgh

Data breaches are occurring at a record setting pace, according to research reported on by NBC News. Three billion Yahoo user accounts were hacked in 2017 alone, according to USA Today. Billions of dollars are lost every year due to a few large breaches and numerous smaller ones that target personal identification information, tax information, and credit card numbers. With so many breaches occurring on a daily basis, and hackers becoming more emboldened and advanced, employees are at ever increasing risk of financial damage due to their employer’s negligent cyber-security measures. An experienced Pennsylvania data breach attorney can help remedy your predicament by demanding financial compensation for your considerable losses.

What is at Stake in a Cyber-Security Breach?

A cyber-security breach involves the complete invasion of employees’ private information, which can be used to harm them in their personal lives outside of the workplace. Your employer has access to all of your pertinent personal information (Personal Identification Information), that can expose you to cyber threats. These breaches involve the theft of your information for the purpose of committing credit card fraud, tax return fraud, phishing scams, medical fraud, and other financial and medical fraud. Sometimes the hacker will sell your information to the highest bidder on the black market, and other times they will immediately use it to put charges on your credit card or receive your year-end tax rebate.

How a Company Email Phishing Scam Works

One method of data theft is for a cybercriminal to hack into your company’s email and pretend that they are a high-up executive. They mask themselves with this identity and send out emails to others in the company requesting confidential employee information. These types of cyber theft scams are called Business Email Compromise Scams (BEC) or phishing scams, and it can not only result in serious losses for a large company, but cause virtually irreparable financial damage and emotional hardship to individual employees. Often, the only source of retribution is to turn to a lawyer, as employers who have already lost money due to a scam are not primarily concerned with repairing the damage caused to their employees.

Your Employer Should Have Known Better

While it can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling sorry for your employer’s losses, you need to think of your own damages first and foremost. Your employer receives constant warnings from law enforcement cybersecurity professionals about phishing scams and hacks. They most likely had the chance to enhance their security system, training, and prevention methods, and the fact they were hacked means that they failed to do so. Your employer has an obligation to protect your personal information, and they completely and totally failed in this duty to you.

A Pennsylvania Cyber-Security Breach Attorney can Help

The attorneys here at HKM Employment have filed numerous class action lawsuits against large employers who failed to properly safeguard their employees’ personal identification information. We recently filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of 1,5000 employees when their employer was targeted in a data breach, and we get results for our clients. Call our Pennsylvania law offices today to speak with the cybersecurity data breach attorneys of HKM Employment Attorneys.