Data breaches are now routine. Companies you’ve trusted with your email, phone number, or passwords can be hacked without you ever hearing about it. The sooner you spot a leak, the less damage it can do. Here’s how to check.
1. Check Breach-Notification Services
The quickest test is to search your email address and phone number on a trusted breach database:
- Have I Been Pwned (haveibeenpwned.com): Enter your email to see which known breaches included it. You can also subscribe to alerts for future breaches.
- Firefox Monitor or Google’s Password Checkup: Both flag saved passwords that have appeared in known leaks.
Only use well-known services, and never enter your actual passwords into a site to “check” them.
2. Watch for Warning Signs
Sometimes the signs show up in your daily life before any alert does:
- Unusual login alerts: Emails or texts about sign-ins from unfamiliar devices or locations.
- Password reset emails you didn’t request.
- A surge in spam, phishing, or scam calls, especially messages that mention real details about you.
- Unexplained charges on your bank or mobile money accounts.
- Accounts you didn’t open, or credit and loan notices in your name.
- Being locked out of an account because the password was changed.
3. Search for Yourself
Search your name, email, and phone number online. Look for personal details on people-search sites or forums. Setting up a free Google Alert for your name can also tell you when new pages mention you.
4. Review Your Accounts
Check the “recent activity” or “security” page of your important accounts, such as email, banking, and social media. Look for logins you don’t recognize, and check whether any unknown apps or devices are connected.
5. Read Company Notices
If a company you use announces a breach, take it seriously even if the email looks routine. Verify it by visiting the company’s official website directly, not by clicking links in the message, since scammers often imitate breach notices.
What to Do If You Find a Leak
- Change the exposed password immediately, and change it anywhere else you reused it.
- Turn on two-factor authentication, preferably with an authenticator app rather than SMS.
- Use a password manager to create unique passwords for every account.
- Alert your bank if financial details were involved, and monitor your statements.
- Be wary of follow-up scams. Attackers often exploit leaked data by posing as support staff.
Conclusion
You can’t fully prevent your data from being exposed, since breaches often happen on a company’s end, but you can detect problems early and limit the harm. Check your email on a breach database every few months, use unique passwords, and keep two-factor authentication on. A few minutes of routine checking can save you weeks of recovery later.
