Financial investments leaked: what it means and what to do
Risk level: high. Can you change it: no. Found in 3 breaches in this directory.
What this data is
Details of your investments, such as share holdings, managed funds, retirement or superannuation balances, brokerage account numbers, trading history and the platforms you use.
The risk on its own
Investment details cannot be sold or withdrawn by someone who only reads them. They do show roughly how much you are worth and which platforms hold it. That makes your account a target and your name valuable on scam lead lists.
The risk combined with other data
With your name, phone number and email, criminals can impersonate your broker or fund with convincing detail about your holdings. They use it for fake investment opportunities, fake recovery services and attempts to take over the account or redirect withdrawals. Shareholder details can also be used to change the bank account that receives your dividends.
How criminals use it
A caller from your broker's supposed compliance team says your account is under review and asks you to move funds to a secure account.
Someone offers a higher return and mentions your current holdings to show inside knowledge.
A fraudster uses your holder number to change the bank account for dividend payments with the share registry.
A fake recovery firm offers to get back money lost in an investment scam, for an upfront fee.
What to do now
Log in to each investment platform through its app or a typed address, change the password and turn on two-factor authentication with an authenticator app.
Check your nominated bank account, contact details and withdrawal settings for changes you did not make.
Ask the platform or share registry to add extra verification before withdrawals or bank detail changes.
Check any investment offer against the official register: ASIC's professional registers in Australia, the FCA Register in the UK or FINRA BrokerCheck in the US.
Ignore anyone offering to recover losses for a fee, because recovery scams follow investment breaches.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone sell my shares because they know what I own?
Not without access to your account or your holder verification. The risk is account takeover and scams that use your holdings to sound believable.
How do I check whether an investment firm is legitimate?
Search the regulator's register in your country and contact the firm only through the details listed there, not the ones in the message you received.
What is a recovery scam?
A follow-up scam that promises to recover money you lost, for a fee. Regulators and police do not charge victims for help.
Breaches that exposed this data
Exactis: 2018-06-01, 132M accounts, Credit status information, Dates of birth, 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
Angel One: 2023-04-01, 6.8M accounts, Bank account numbers, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Financial investments, Government issued IDs, Names
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.