Family structure leaked: what it means and what to do
Risk level: medium. Can you change it: no. Found in 9 breaches in this directory.
What this data is
Information about your household, such as the number and ages of children, whether you are a single parent, who lives with you and whether you care for someone, collected by insurers, schools, government services, surveys and marketing databases.
The risk on its own
Household makeup does not open accounts, but it describes your home life in a way strangers should not know. It shows whether young children live there, whether you live alone, and sometimes whether you are separated or widowed. That makes it useful for picking vulnerable targets.
The risk combined with other data
With your address it can tell someone that an older person lives alone, or that young children live at a particular house. It supports targeted scams, such as fake school or childcare fees, and gives people who mean children harm information they should never have. Brokers also sell household profiles for marketing.
How criminals use it
A fake school or childcare provider sends a fee request to parents identified from the leak.
An older person identified as living alone is targeted with doorstep or phone scams.
A controlling former partner learns about a new household arrangement after separation.
Children's ages and household details are used to build a synthetic identity in a child's name.
What to do now
Confirm any school, childcare or activity payment request through the provider's official app or office before paying.
Consider a credit freeze for your children where available, since fraud in a child's name can go unnoticed for years. In the US each credit bureau accepts freeze requests for minors.
Remove household details, children's names and school information from social profiles and public posts.
Opt out of the data brokers that list household members and relatives.
If you have a safety concern about a former partner, tell the organisation that leaked the data and get advice from a family violence service.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my household structure matter to criminals?
It tells them who is vulnerable, such as older people living alone or families with young children, and it makes scams about schools and care more believable.
Can my child's identity be stolen?
Yes. Children have clean credit files that nobody checks, so fraud in their name can go unnoticed until they apply for credit as adults. A freeze where available prevents it.
Can I stop brokers listing my household?
You can opt out of the major people search and data broker sites, and in some places use laws such as the CCPA or GDPR to demand deletion.
Breaches that exposed this data
Exactis: 2018-06-01, 132M accounts, Credit status information, Dates of birth, Education levels, Email addresses, Ethnicities, Family structure
Zoosk (2020): 2020-01-12, 24M accounts, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Education levels, Email addresses, Ethnicities, Family structure
Data Enrichment Records: 2016-12-23, 8.2M accounts, Buying preferences, Charitable donations, Credit status information, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Family structure
Experian (2015): 2015-09-16, 7.2M accounts, Credit status information, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Ethnicities, Family structure, Genders
CyberServe: 2021-10-29, 1.1M accounts, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Email addresses, Family structure, Genders, Geographic locations
Kreditplus: 2020-06-23, 769K accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Employers, Family structure, Genders, Income levels
Exposed VINs: 2017-06-05, 397K accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Family structure, Genders, Names, Phone numbers
Ladies.com: 2024-07-03, 119K accounts, Bios, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Education levels, Email addresses, Family structure
Breach data sourced from Have I Been Pwned, used under CC BY 4.0. Additional breach metadata provided by XposedOrNot. DataExposed is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.