DNC Hack Worsens as Identity Thieves Target Big Donors

Identity thieves are targeting big money donors following the Democratic National Committee hack. The data breach included the names and Social Security numbers of the committee’s biggest donors.

A major donor stated, “Now, I’ve got to have LifeLock on my 6-year-old daughter’s Social Security number.”

Eric Schoenberg, also a major donor, stated “I already got a call that someone was trying to use my Social Security number.” A professor at Wharton School of Business, he said “nobody is safe” after a person tried to apply for a loan online using his information.

Reports of identity theft are on the rise among major donors.

The DNC has acknowledged that the data breach was aimed, at least partly, on the finance portion of the committee. Donna Brazile, interim party chair, has worked feverishly to help ease the mind of donors and apologize on behalf of the DNC.

The timing of the hack and identity theft claims puts the DNC in a difficult position. The November general election and many state and cities require donations to fill party coffers. Many big donors have not been as forgiving, which may lead to less money on all levels of the Democratic party.

A high-dollar donor from North Carolina expressed his disappointment with the DNC because no one reached out to him to tell him that his information was part of the hack. The donor’s wife’s identity has been targeted, and someone tried to apply for credit under his wife’s name a week after the data breach.