Tue, 25 Nov 2025

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 Scammers hacked her phone and stole thousands - so how did they get her details?

Sue Shore told the BBC how scammers targeted her - and we found her information had been leaked online.
Data Breaches: A Growing Concern Data breaches have become so common that it can be difficult to know how to react when they happen. However, being a victim of a data breach increases your chances of being targeted by scammers and criminals. A woman named Sue was a victim of a Sim swap attack, where scammers tricked her network operator into giving them a new SIM card for her mobile device. They used this to take over almost all her online accounts through her phone, including her Gmail account and bank accounts. The scammers also purchased £3,000 worth of vouchers using her credit card. Sue's details were exposed in data breaches at PaddyPower in 2010 and Verifications.io in 2019. Hannah Baumgaertner from cyber firm Silobreaker said that attackers likely used the personal data leaked in previous breaches to conduct the Sim swap attack. Another woman, Fran, was targeted by scammers who hijacked her Netflix account and increased her monthly subscription without her knowledge. Her email address had been exposed in at least four data breaches. Scammers often combine stolen private information with public information. Leah, a small business owner, was targeted in a long-running scam apparently originating from Vietnam. She fell victim to a phishing email that allowed scammers to take over her business account and post child sexual abuse videos under her name. The hacking of personal data is becoming increasingly common, with 794 verified breaches discovered so far in 2025 exposing more than 300 million individual records. Companies are not required to offer free credit monitoring or other services to victims, although some have offered compensation in the courts. Individuals can take steps to protect themselves by being aware of potential scams and keeping their personal data secure.
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