Experian Identifies Suspect in Fraudulent Data Inquiry Incident in South Africa

   By Adriano Marchese 
 

Experian PLC has identified a suspect involved in a fraudulent data inquiry in its South Africa bureau, the company said on Wednesday.

The London-listed consumer-credit reporting agency said it is continuing to investigate the isolated incident where an individual in South Africa fraudulently requested services from the company, purporting to represent a legitimate client.

It noted that the services involved the release of information which is provided in the ordinary course of business, or that can be accessed through publicly available channels.

Experian said that it had identified the suspect and confirmed that the suspect's hardware has been impounded and the misappropriated data was secured and deleted.

"We are continuing the legal process in this regard, including coordination with law enforcement and relevant authorities," the company said.

The company confirms that no consumer credit or consumer financial information was obtained, and that the data wasn't used for fraudulent purposes. Instead, the investigation revealed that the suspect had intended to use the data to create marketing leads to offer insurance and credit-related services.

Experian South Africa's bureau infrastructure, systems and database have not been compromised, the company said, and added that there was no breach of Experian South Africa's systems.

Write to Adriano Marchese at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 19, 2020 13:39 ET (17:39 GMT)

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