Hackers may have stolen Seattle ‘X-Factor’ contestants’ info

SEATTLE -- Thousands of people who tried out for the singing competition "The X-Factor" in Seattle last month may have had some of their personal information stolen. Online thieves hacked into a database containing the sensitive information.

The hackers stole names, birthdates, addresses and email addresses from about 250,000 "X-Factor" hopefuls, who have been auditioning across the country.
While no financial information was obtained, technology consultant Chris Pirillo says the concern is scammers could use the email addresses to get contestants to give out more personal information.
That could lead to identity theft.

"Just be very, very aware that when you put name, address, email even simple stuff, when shown here, mixed with information that can be obtained elsewhere could essentially give anybody the ability to become you," Pirillo said.

"The X-Factor" has emailed contestants informing them of the breach and reminds them that it would never ask for personal information like social security numbers.
Pirillo says even if this doesn't affect you, it's always a good idea to be on the lookout for suspicious emails, even if it appears to be from someone you know.

"The X-Factor" breach comes after a major security breach with Sony in which hackers stole sensitive information, including credit card numbers, from millions of Playstation users.

(Source: king5.com)