What Legal Rights Do Ohio Consumers Have After A Data Breach?
Data breaches are a common phenomenon in today’s technological age. Organizations such as businesses, hospitals, stores, and banks store a large amount of information about their customers. If a security breach occurs and your information is stolen, you may experience identity theft, financial fraud, and damage to your credit score.
If you get a letter informing you of a breach, you should know your rights concerning the matter.
What is a data breach?
Data breaches occur when an unauthorized person gains access to personal information. The nature of the information compromised varies by situation and may include Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account information, medical records, passwords, email addresses, and other private information.
Data breaches can result from sophisticated hacking methods, simple employee mistakes, inadequate security procedures, or the loss of a device containing private data.
Identity theft does not always follow data breaches, but the risk alone often causes anxiety to consumers.
What rights do consumers have?
Some organizations, under Ohio law, should send breach notifications to individuals whose personal information was affected by the breach. The breach notifications provide information about the breach and the data that may have been compromised.
A consumer receiving a breach notification can take steps to protect their security, including checking bank accounts, reviewing credit reports, or placing a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit file.
There are times when an individual can sue a breached entity because the individual’s personal information was stolen. Whether a lawsuit is necessary will depend on factors such as the information lost, the damage caused, and whether the organization implemented reasonable security measures.
Potential legal claims following a data breach
Companies that have access to individuals’ personal information should protect it from unauthorized use. When the company fails to take reasonable security measures, and a security breach occurs, consumers who are victims of the breach can take legal action against the company.
Legal action can be brought by consumers based on the business’s negligence or breach of contract, as well as consumer protection statutes. Consumers might sue for monetary losses incurred due to the breach or for expenses incurred for identity protection.
Class action suits are filed by the consumers when many people suffer from a data breach.
Steps to take after receiving a breach notice
If you become aware of the exposure of your personal information, you need to respond without delay. This will involve changing passwords linked to compromised accounts and activating multi-factor authentication wherever applicable. It will be wise to check for any kind of unusual transactions in your banking account and credit card records.
Talk to a Dayton, OH, Consumer Law Attorney Today
Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC, represents the interests of individuals whose data has been breached due to a company’s negligence. Call our Dayton consumer lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin preparing your case right away.
