Last August 2014 occurred an at&t data breach. They are a popular communication provider in the US.
The company values their customers a lot. At&t has been doing a great job of protecting their privacy.
If their system is not the problem, what could it be? How many were the people affected? How did they compensate them?
Why AT&T Data Breach Happened
You read it right. The company’s system provided a very secure assurance for their customers.
One of their employees failed to follow the process. It might be a missing piece. But, the effect was huge.
That one mistake caused an international alarm. First, the USA is one of the huge known countries. Second, customer service was not only accessed in the USA.
Moreover, the Philippines, Mexico, and Colombia are popular for their call center services. They were the ones who discovered how vast the data breach was.
A Lot of People Were Affected
Privacy is a big thing for everyone. Being connected to a telecommunication company is connected to the following:
- Personal Communication – Their names. Identification of their birth. Personal information that is so dangerous and appealing to thieves.
- Address – Where they live. Also to where their other contact person lives. This is the most crucial among all.
- Bank Information – The use of technology today is advancing. But some have not used it the right way. No wonder why it worries the customer.
- Government Identity
Call center agents collected almost 279,000 unauthorized information. Keep in mind that this is a huge number of users.
More of that, there is nearly $280,000 breached because of the single damage one employee has caused.
AT&T reported that the staff is no longer working in their company. It surely gave everyone a lesson to learn.
How the Company Solved the Problem
The mess took time to solve and clean. But the company did not forget that they are also responsible to their customers. What actions have they done?
As an apology, they gave the customers one full year of free credit. It will be during the span of fixing their technical problem. The users will not be burdened to pay or feel burdened because of what happened.
Moreover, they also gave a refund to the customers of what they paid for their service. It might be words of information, but it meant their lives because of the triggered loss of security.
On the other side, this proved how AT&T is committed to serving its customer right. As of today, they are still serving as one of the largest communication networks.
Conclusion
There is a reason why a single instruction is given. Do not skip the process because it will affect many. The lesson learned from the employee who did not follow the rules.
Data is unseen but this will mean the security and safety of the family. A company should value their information as much as the customers do.
Lastly, serving the customers right will bring back their trust in your service.