Massive Data Breach Leaves Montanans Vulnerable

If you've never had your identity stolen or had your bank account hacked, consider yourself lucky, because it's a huge pain in the rear.

Sadly, your luck may have just run out after a recent data breach has left every Montana resident along with every citizen across America exposed for identity theft.

READ MORE: An Open Letter To The Jerk That Stole My Identity: You Suck

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How Your Identity Could Have Been Stolen

A hacker group by the name of USDoD claimed to have stolen 2.7 billion records, which included a person's full name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and phone number, along with alternate names and birth dates.

They stole this information from National Public Data, which does background checks for staffing agencies, businesses, private investigators, or anyone who requests it, according to a class-action lawsuit as reported on by Yahoo News.

READ NEXT: Montana Police Say 'Remove This From Your Wallets NOW'

A cartoon graphic of a person hiding their identity behind a mask in front of a computer screen with binary code and saying "identity theft"
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What Steps Should You Take To Protect Yourself?

If you are worried you might be at risk for identity theft, first you should freeze your credit files with any of the 3 major credit bureaus: ExperianEquifax, and TransUnion.

Also, it would probably be smart to change your passwords for anything you've got tied to your bank information, including banking apps, subscription services, and shopping apps.

Setting a two-factor authentication, which requires two forms of identification to access resources and data, is also smart to do going forward.

Find out more about the data breach and the lawsuit here.

Don't get fooled: Here's 24 scam texts I received in just one month

Although some may be humorous, others appear legit. Here are 24 texts I received in just one month's time, as well as one I'm surprised I never got.

Spam texts are listed in the same order that was received.

Gallery Credit: Mike Brant

12 Signs That You Could Be a Victim of Identity Theft

Identity theft can happen so quickly, and potentially take so long to resolve. Keep an eye out for these 12 warning signs and maybe you can limit the damage done to your credit and your life.

Gallery Credit: Cindy Campbell

Ranking States with Most Online Scams

Here's a state-by-state look, using data available from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), ranking states by total amount of money lost to fraud.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow