COMELEC (Philippines Voters) data breach
From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the March 2016 breach of COMELEC (Philippines Voters). For every breach, see Breaches.
The COMELEC (Philippines Voters) data breach exposed 228,605 accounts from comelec.gov.ph in March 2016. The data taken includes dates of birth, family members' names, names and passport numbers and 8 more kinds of data.[1]
Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 14 Apr 2016, 1 month later. It is the 540th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.
What was exposed
COMELEC (Philippines Voters)’s breach included 12 kinds of data. What each lets criminals do:
| Data | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
| Dates of birth | Used to prove who you are to banks and phone companies. |
| Family members' names | Helps someone pretend to be you. |
| Names | Makes scam messages personal enough to believe. |
| Passport numbers | Enough to open accounts in your name. Ask about replacing the passport. |
| Physical addresses | Used to prove who you are, and for scam letters and parcels. |
| Email addresses | Expect scam emails that name the company to look genuine. |
| Phone numbers | Expect scam texts and calls, and a higher risk of someone moving your number to their SIM. |
| Biometric data | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Genders | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Job titles | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Marital statuses | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Physical attributes | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
What to do
- Check whether you’re in it.Search your email address on Have I Been Pwned. It tells you which breaches it appears in, COMELEC (Philippines Voters) among them, without showing the data.
- Distrust messages that mention COMELEC (Philippines Voters).Scammers use breach data to sound genuine. Don’t click links in emails or texts about the breach; go to the site yourself.
- Put a PIN on your phone account.Ask your mobile provider for a port-out PIN, so no one can move your number to their SIM.
- Freeze your credit.In the US, free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. In Australia, ask Equifax, Experian and illion for a ban. No one can open credit in your name while it’s on.
Timeline
- : the breach, as best it can be dated.
- : Have I Been Pwned verifies the data and adds it to its search, 1 month later.
Similar breaches
Breaches that leaked the same kinds of data, closest in time:
- MalindoAir, March 2019, 4.3 million accounts
- Utair, March 2019, 401,400 accounts
- Modern Business Solutions, October 2016, 59 million accounts
- Odido, February 2026, 6.1 million accounts
- ClearVoice Surveys, August 2015, 15 million accounts
- Assurance Retraite, September 2024, 70,372 accounts
See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.
References
- ^ Troy Hunt. “COMELEC (Philippines Voters)”, Have I Been Pwned, added 14 Apr 2016. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.
External links
- Have I Been Pwned, to check your email address
- comelec.gov.ph, COMELEC (Philippines Voters)’s website