Volkswagen has confirmed a data leak affecting many of its existing and potential customers. The compromised data included customer information used for sales and marketing campaigns between 2014 and 2019. Volkswagen stated that the data was leaked online sometime between August 2018 and May 2021, although the exact timeline has not been confirmed. Investigations are ongoing.

The leaked data includes customers’ first and last names, email addresses, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and information relating to transactions for inquired, leased, and purchased vehicles.

However, it gets worse. Nearly 90,000 Audi customers had their driving license number, date of birth, social security number, tax identification number, and account or loan number exposed.

With the help of IDX, a help hub has been set up for those who believe they may have been affected by the data leak. The hub also contains more information about the incident.

Is your email address pwned?

Has your data been leaked? What should you be concerned about?

According to Volkswagen, they will offer free credit protection services, through an enrollment code, to people who had sensitive data relating to purchase or lease eligibility leaked. The company said it will notify those affected and provide the codes directly.

Volkswagen reminded everyone affected by the leak to be cautious as they may be potential targets for phishing scams and spam emails.

For information on identify theft and how you can protect against it, please visit the FTC’s website.

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