Protect yourself from fraud.
The Suquamish IT Department is sharing this information to help protect tribal members and staff from becoming victims of fraud. Please note that the breach did not occur within the Suquamish Tribal Government. Rather, it involved TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting agencies.
On July 28, 2025, TransUnion reported a data breach affecting over 4 million people. Information exposed may include your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email, and Social Security Number (SSN). Even if you have never signed up with TransUnion, your information may still have been compromised. TransUnion collects information on nearly all consumers with a credit history.
How to Protect Yourself and Your Family
- Trust your gut. If you receive a phone call requesting personal information, do not provide it and hang up. Legitimate banks and businesses will never call “out of the blue” requesting this type of information. Only share this information if you made the call — and only to a number you’ve called before. For banks, call the number that is listed on the back of debit/credit cards.
- Freeze your credit with TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian.
- Sign up for TransUnion’s free monitoring or Credit Karma (which also has great resources).
- Check your accounts regularly for unusual activities. Despite its name, Annual Credit Report provides free weekly online credit reports. Learn more here.
- Update passwords and use unique passwords for your accounts.
What Scams May Look Like
Be cautious if you receive:
- Phone calls asking you to “confirm” your SSN, birth date, or account info.
- Emails or texts using your real details to seem real.
- Requests to say your SSN out loud or answer “yes/no” questions — your voice could be recorded and reused.
- Messages using scare tactics like “your account will be suspended.”
If You Are Affected
- Report identity theft at identitytheft.gov.
- Contact the Tribal Cybersecurity or Membership Office for help.
Resources
TransUnion Data Breach Recovery Plan
Replace Passwords with Passphrases
Your safety is our top priority. We will keep you informed as more details are released.
