Notice of Data Breach
March 8, 2023
Dear Impacted Customers,
UScellular values its customers and is committed to protecting their privacy. We take this responsibility seriously and it is for this reason, that we need to share information regarding a recent incident and the steps that UScellular is taking to safeguard customer information.
What happened?
On January 18, 2023, we were made aware of a data security incident in which unauthorized individuals may have illegally gained accessed to a former third-party vendor’s system. This incident was caused by a misconfigured server at the vendor that allowed the individuals to view certain outdated information on 52,000 wireless customer accounts. UScellular’s relationship with this third-party vendor ended several years ago. The incident occurred between January 1, 2023 and January 8, 2023.
What Information Was Involved?
As indicated above, customer information was impacted in this incident which included names and cellular telephone number(s) as well as information about wireless services including service plans, device types, and single monthly amount owed on the bill known as Customer Proprietary Network Information (“CPNI”). The data impacted did not include sensitive personal information, such as Social Security number or credit card information.
What is UScellular Doing?
Immediate measures to prevent this type of incident in the future were taken. The vendor is currently working with Law Enforcement to identify the responsible party and all information has been removed from internet connectivity. Furthermore, UScellular reported the incident to law enforcement in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Communications Commission as well as certain state agencies.
What You Can Do
You should also remain vigilant against phishing schemes. This is the Federal Trade Commission’s page to help you recognized a phishing scam. https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams#recognize.
If you have any concerns about your account, out of an abundance of caution, you can always reset your My Account password through our My Account app or by calling 611 from your cell phone. Should you choose to change your PIN on your UScellular MyAccount or your security question/answer, you must contact us to do so. You are encouraged to create a strong PIN by avoiding sequences, repetition, and mirroring personal information, such as social security numbers or date of birth. If you have any questions about this data breach, you or your Authorized Contacts may contact us by calling 888-439-3455.
Other Important Information
This situation presents an opportunity to increase the level of security on your account as well as other accounts to ensure that your information is protected. To the extent that you have used the same user name and passwords for other online accounts, you should consider updating those user names and passwords.
We would also like to take this opportunity to encourage you to remain vigilant about reviewing your account statements and monitoring your other online accounts and credit reports over the next 12 months. Promptly report any incidents of suspected identity theft to your credit card company and the credit bureaus.
We apologize for this incident and any inconvenience it may have caused. Your confidence in our ability to safeguard your personal information and your peace of mind are very important to us.