MASSILLON, Ohio — A Northeast Ohio man says his personal information may have been exposed in a data breach connected to a Massillon car dealership.
Aaron Lucarelli shared a notification letter from Progressive Auto Group with News 5, saying he received it just after the new year. Lucarelli said he previously purchased a vehicle from the dealership and also worked there as a mechanic.
The letter, dated Dec. 29, states that an “unauthorized actor” accessed Progressive Auto Group’s network and removed certain files. The company said it confirmed on Dec. 18 that Lucarelli’s information was among the data affected.
According to the notification, the compromised files may have contained Lucarelli’s name and Social Security number. The letter also says the data could include a driver’s license number, passport number or financial account information, including debit or payment card numbers.
Progressive Auto Group said it is offering affected individuals one year of free credit monitoring through EquiPrivacy ID Solutions, a service designed to help detect identity theft.
“It makes me feel insecure,” Lucarelli said. “I had to contact all three credit bureaus late at night. It made it really difficult to get to sleep because I’m thinking, ‘Who knows that kind of information, and what kind of damage could that do to me financially?’”
Cybersecurity experts say breaches like this are becoming increasingly common.
“Every day we turn on the TV or open the newspaper, we see reports of companies being breached,” said Alex Hammerstone with TrustedSec. “The reality is that many of these breaches could have been prevented with fairly basic cybersecurity controls.”
Lucarelli said he has been monitoring his credit and has not seen any suspicious activity so far.
“I checked my credit report and didn’t see anything, and I haven’t received any alerts,” he said. “But the fear is still there.”
Experts recommend setting up alerts through banks and credit card companies to receive notifications of unusual activity.
Anyone who believes they may be a victim of identity theft can report fraudulent activity to the Federal Trade Commission, which offers resources and personalized recovery plans for consumers.
