How to protect yourself from the Three hack

Update: Three has now said 133,827 customer accounts were accessed in the hack and the network will have contacted you already if you were one of those affected.

If you're one of the unlucky customers take some solace in knowing the hackers haven't been able to access bank details, passwords, pin numbers, payment information or credit/debit card information.

Original: If you’re on the mobile network Three, you probably know that there was a big data breach last week, which may have put your personal data in danger.

Although your banking details are unaffected, it does put other information from your Three account at risk.

These are the steps you should follow to try to best protect yourself from the hack. That said, we can’t guarantee you’ll be able to fully protect yourself from the hack.

1. Call 333

The first step is to get in contact with Three to find out whether your details have been stolen. It’s currently unclear how many customers have been affected – some reports are saying up to six million customers – so the best thing to do is ask.

We tried to contact Three through this method as Three had not made the process of contacting its dedicated support team about the hack clear on its website. 

If you speak to anyone on the phone line, they should be able to put you through to the right team.

2. Don’t answer nuisance calls

Customers discovered they had been hacked after receiving nuisance calls, so if you get any in the next few weeks be sure not to give them any of your details over the phone.

Even answering nuisance calls at all proves your number is correct, so try not to pick up calls from unknown numbers.

Look out for phishing attacks that come through by text and email too.

3. Your bank account is safe

Three has confirmed your banking data isn't at risk from this hack. A statement said “we’d like to reassure customers that their financial details are not at risk.”

We still recommend being wary of any calls or emails you receive from your bank over the coming months though as there’s a risk those with the data could try to pose as your bank.

4. Three is working on a fix

Three has said it is "working with police and relevant authorities on the matter" and the company has "put measures in place to stop the fraudulent activity".

Three will be contacting those affected as soon as possible, so expect to hear from the network in the near future if you've been affected.

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.