NewsCompaniesFlawsGuides
Get the app

Dymocks data breach

From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the June 2023 breach of Dymocks. For every breach, see Breaches.

The Dymocks data breach exposed 836,120 accounts from dymocks.com.au in June 2023. The data taken includes dates of birth, names, physical addresses and email addresses and 2 more kinds of data.[1]

Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 8 Sep 2023, 3 months later. It is the 437th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.

What was exposed

Dymocks’s breach included 6 kinds of data. What each lets criminals do:

DataWhat it’s used for
Dates of birthUsed to prove who you are to banks and phone companies.
NamesMakes scam messages personal enough to believe.
Physical addressesUsed to prove who you are, and for scam letters and parcels.
Email addressesExpect scam emails that name the company to look genuine.
Phone numbersExpect scam texts and calls, and a higher risk of someone moving your number to their SIM.
GendersPersonal details that make scam messages more convincing.

What to do

  1. Check whether you’re in it.Search your email address on Have I Been Pwned. It tells you which breaches it appears in, Dymocks among them, without showing the data.
  2. Distrust messages that mention Dymocks.Scammers use breach data to sound genuine. Don’t click links in emails or texts about the breach; go to the site yourself.
  3. 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.
  4. 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, 3 months later.

Similar breaches

Breaches that leaked the same kinds of data, closest in time:

See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.

References

  1. ^ Troy Hunt. “Dymocks”, Have I Been Pwned, added 8 Sep 2023. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.