FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Contact: comms@ncdoj.gov
919-538-2809
RALEIGH — Attorney General Jeff Jackson is reminding North Carolinians to protect their personal information after a recent Canvas data breach impacted 275 million students, parents, and school staff. While it’s not clear that this breach compromised sensitive data like Social Security numbers or financial account information, it’s better to always take additional steps to protect your accounts. In the wrong hands, criminals can use this information to steal identities, open fraudulent accounts, or target consumers with scams. Last year, a record-setting 2,349 data breaches were reported to the North Carolina Department of Justice, impacting over 9 million North Carolinians.
“Data breaches can put your personal information in the hands of criminals,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “Stay alert, secure your accounts, and watch for any signs of fraud or identity theft.”
Follow these tips to protect your personal information.
- Sign up for free credit monitoring. If you receive a notification regarding a data breach, sign up for the free credit monitoring.
- Monitor your own credit files. The three national credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — have permanently extended a program that lets you check your credit report at each of the agencies once a week for free.
- Protect your accounts. Turn on multi-factor authentication for important accounts, especially banking, email, and social media accounts. This adds an extra layer of security even if your password is compromised.
- Avoid using the same password across various accounts. If your username and password are compromised in a breach, using the same password could help a criminal gain more access to other personal information.
- Freeze your credit. Freezing your credit prevents identity thieves from taking out loans or opening credit cards in your name if your information is compromised in a data breach. You can freeze your credit with all three credit bureaus Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
If you believe that you have been the victim of identity theft, contact our office’s Consumer Protection Division at www.ncdoj.gov/complaint or 1-877-5-NO-SCAM.
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