Update from June 30, 2025:
Verizon has rubbished the report and confirmed that the data doesn't belong to its customers.
Old data that's been circulating on the dark web for many years. This threat actor tried the same stunt with our two large competitors as well. The data set is not even that of Verizon customers. It's nonsense.
—Richard Young, Associate Vice President Verizon Corporate Communications, June 2025
The original story follows below:
A hacker claims to have stolen data on 61 million
Verizon customers and is offering the information for sale.
SafetyDetectives reports that cybercriminals have posted data samples on a popular forum where stolen information is often sold. The forum is frequented by bad actors and is a marketplace of sorts for leaks and cracks.Apparently, 61 million records, which total 3.1GB in size, were stolen sometime this year. For now, the hacker has only posted two screenshots as proof of the theft and they look legitimate. That said, it hasn't been independently verified whether the data belongs to
Verizon customers.
The dataset contains sensitive details such as first name, last name, date of birth, tax ID, full address, phone numbers, email address, and IP address.
People have already started expressing interest in the full dataset, which can be purchased from the hacker.
While it's entirely possible that
Verizon wasn't breached and someone is just trying to make a quick buck by claiming to possess customer records, the reverse could also be true. That's why it's recommended that
Verizon customers stay on the safe side by being a little more vigilant and careful. Customers should be wary of all communications from unknown sources, particularly those asking them for personal information or pressing them for urgent action. They should also try to limit personal information available online and make their profiles more secure and private.
Verizon subscribers should also keep an eye out for any unauthorized transactions on bank statements and transaction history. These precautionary steps will strengthen your defense against any potential consequences of the breach, including identity theft, phishing attacks, account takeovers, and financial fraud.
Verizon may not necessarily be at fault here and it's possible that security holes at a third-party partner made the theft possible. Either way, this is the last thing a customer who has entrusted their information to a company wants to hear. Interestingly, a
similar claim was made about T-Mobile earlier this month, but the company rejected it. So while there's hopefully nothing to worry about, it's best not to take any chances and to protect yourself in whatever way you can.We've reached out to
Verizon for a comment and will update the story when we have a response.
