Master Deeds data breach
From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the March 2017 breach of Master Deeds. For every breach, see Breaches.
The Master Deeds data breach exposed 2,257,930 accounts in March 2017. The data taken includes dates of birth, government issued IDs, names and physical addresses and 9 more kinds of data.[1]
Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 18 Oct 2017, 7 months later. It is the 300th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.
What was exposed
Master Deeds’s breach included 13 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. |
| Government issued IDs | Enough to open accounts or take out loans in your name. |
| Names | Makes scam messages personal enough to believe. |
| 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. |
| Deceased statuses | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Employers | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Ethnicities | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Genders | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Home ownership statuses | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Job titles | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Nationalities | 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, Master Deeds among them, without showing the data.
- Distrust messages that mention Master Deeds.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, 7 months later.
Similar breaches
Breaches that leaked the same kinds of data, closest in time:
- AT&T, August 2021, 49 million accounts
- Angel One, April 2023, 6.8 million accounts
- JobStreet, March 2012, 3.9 million accounts
- Odido, February 2026, 6.1 million accounts
- JCPenney, June 2026, 368,418 accounts
- Assurance Retraite, September 2024, 70,372 accounts
See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.
References
- ^ Troy Hunt. “Master Deeds”, Have I Been Pwned, added 18 Oct 2017. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.
External links
- Have I Been Pwned, to check your email address