Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by redwall_hp 1884 days ago
It would be useful for social engineering, though I'd hazard a guess that a lot of DO customers are going to be more aware of that kind of thing. I've seen email and phone scams where the scammer gets info from a data leak and uses it to lull the target into a false sense of security before trying to extract more useful information.

"Hi, I'm calling from Bank of America about your debit card ending in XXXX. We've noticed some suspicious activity. Did you make a purchase for $200 at SomeOutlandishlyExpensiveStore? Oops, I need to verify your identity first? Can you give me your SSN?"

There you have two pieces of not-very-public information from the leak, and some bait to incite a little bit of panic, which might impede their judgement enough that they won't be too suspicious.