Oops! Verizon Leaks Data of 6 Million Users

A couple weeks ago my name, phone number, and email were leaked through a different company. At first I didn't think it was that big a deal, until I was being contacted between 15 to 20 times a day.

I was getting calls from all over the world, text messages at all hours, and the dumbest emails requests. Some of the messages were beyond ridiculous. I received multiple calls from New York and Africa telling me I had numerous warrants out for my arrest.

The callers even left voicemail's about how the police were going to be arresting me really soon unless I sent them money.

It has since become less and less, but I'm still amazed by how ridiculous these people are who try and hustle people for money. With all the effort that goes into scamming, I am surprised most of these people behind them don't just have a legit business.

According to CNN Verizon is the latest company to accidentally leak customer info:

The security issue, uncovered by research from cybersecurity firm UpGuard, was caused by a misconfigured security setting on a cloud server due to "human error."
The error made customer phone numbers, names, and some PIN codes publicly available online. PIN codes are used to confirm the identity of people who call for customer service.
No loss or theft of customer information occurred, Verizon told CNN Tech.

I am also surprised that with so many companies wanting all my info they don't seem to concerned about keeping it more safe. It seams I can't buy a cup of coffee, a tank of gas, or a t-shirt without everybody trying to collect my email, my phone number, and a hair sample.

I've actually come up with a plan to fix this in the future:

The company owes each person $100 for the inconvenience of the leaked info.

Catch the criminals who collect personal info, and they are responsible for paying back the money the company had to pay out.

I think a lot of hackers might trickle over to the good side with the bounty being that high.

And I believe companies might also up their game, and minimize 'human error'.

Now what's 6 million times $100?

Sources: CNN

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