I knew things were not quite right when I had to throw a towel over a broken Ikea lamp to block out its light. How did I get here? I cover fancy and capable tech for a living, and yet, it took me two years to get rid of a pair of old, broken Ikea lamps in my bedroom. Then I got some floor lamps from Govee that changed everything.
Technology
Figure data breach exposes nearly 1M accounts
Cyber expert shares tips to avoid AI phishing scams
Kurt ‘The CyberGuy’ Knutsson shares practical ways to avoid falling victim to AI-generated phishing scams and discusses a report that North Korean agents are posing as I.T. workers to funnel money into the country’s nuclear program.
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If you have applied for a loan online, you probably shared more than you realized. Your name. Your email. Your date of birth. Maybe even your home address and phone number. Now imagine all of that sitting on a dark web forum.
That is the reality for nearly 1 million people after hackers breached Figure Technology Solutions, a blockchain-focused fintech lender.
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What happened in the Figure data breach
Figure Technology Solutions, founded in 2018, uses the Provenance blockchain for lending, borrowing and securities trading. The company says it has unlocked more than $22 billion in home equity through partnerships with banks, credit unions, fintechs and home improvement companies. However, behind the scenes, attackers were working on a very different angle.
GOOGLE DROPPED DARK WEB MONITORING: SHOULD YOU CARE?
Nearly 1 million accounts were exposed after hackers breached fintech lender Figure Technology Solutions in a social engineering attack. (Felix Zahn/Photothek via Getty Images)
According to breach notification data shared by Have I Been Pwned, information from 967,200 accounts was exposed. The leaked data included more than 900,000 unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, physical addresses and dates of birth. That is a gold mine for identity thieves. Figure says the incident stemmed from a social engineering attack. What that means in simple terms is that someone inside the company was tricked into handing over access.
“We recently identified that an employee was socially engineered, and that allowed an actor to download a limited number of files through their account,” a Figure Technology Solutions spokesperson told CyberGuy in a statement. “We acted quickly to block the activity and retained a forensic firm to investigate what files were affected. We understand the importance of these matters and are communicating with partners and those impacted as appropriate. We are also implementing additional safeguards and training to further strengthen our defenses. We are offering complimentary credit monitoring to all individuals who receive a notice. We continuously monitor accounts and have strong safeguards in place to protect customers’ funds and accounts.”
Social engineering is the real weapon
When people hear the word blockchain, they think secure and untouchable. But attackers did not break cryptography. They targeted a human being. Groups like ShinyHunters specialize in this playbook. They reportedly claimed responsibility for the breach and, according to BleepingComputer, posted 2.5GB of data allegedly tied to thousands of loan applicants.
In recent weeks, the same group has claimed breaches involving companies like Canada Goose, Panera Bread and SoundCloud. Not every case is connected. Still, security researchers have observed a troubling pattern. Attackers impersonate IT support. They call employees. They create urgency. Then they direct victims to fake login portals that look nearly identical to real ones.
Once employees enter credentials and even multi-factor authentication codes, attackers gain access to single sign-on systems tied to major platforms like Microsoft and Google. From there, one compromised account can unlock a web of connected tools and internal systems.
PANERA BREAD DATA BREACH EXPOSES 5.1M CUSTOMERS
Security researchers say the Figure data leak underscores how social engineering bypasses even blockchain-based platforms. (Maxim Konankov/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Why this matters to you
If your information was part of the Figure data breach, criminals now have enough detail to craft convincing phishing emails or phone scams. They can reference your real name. They can cite your address. They can pretend to be a lender or bank calling about your application.
Even if you never applied for a loan with Figure, this incident highlights something bigger. No platform is immune to human error. And social engineering works because it targets trust, not technology.
The bigger lesson about blockchain and trust
Figure markets itself as blockchain native. Blockchain can provide transparency and strong cryptographic security. However, none of that protects against a well-crafted phone call.
Security failures often happen at the human layer. That is where attackers focus their energy. As more financial services move online, the attack surface grows. Loan applications, identity verification tools and cloud-based systems create convenience. They also create new targets.
How to protect yourself after the Figure data breach
You cannot control how companies secure their systems. You can control how you respond. Start by checking whether your email address appears in the exposed dataset, then take the steps below to lock down your accounts.
SUBSTACK DATA BREACH EXPOSES EMAILS AND PHONE NUMBERS
Figure says an employee was tricked into granting access, allowing attackers to download sensitive customer data. (Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Check if your email was exposed
To see if your email address was affected, visit https://haveibeenpwned.com/. Enter your email address to find out whether your information appears in the leak. When finished, return here and begin Step 1 below.
Take these steps immediately
- Change any exposed passwords right away. Do not leave a known leaked password in place. Update it everywhere you used it. Use a password manager to create strong, unique passwords for every account. Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com
- Turn on multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Never share login codes with anyone, even if they claim to be IT support.
- Install strong antivirus software to help block phishing links, malicious downloads and ransomware that often follow major breaches. Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
- Consider a data removal service to reduce your personal information on data broker sites, which scammers often combine with breached data. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
- Place a free fraud alert or credit freeze with the major credit bureaus.
- Monitor your bank and credit card statements weekly for suspicious activity.
Also, be cautious of unexpected calls about your accounts. If someone pressures you to act immediately, hang up and call the company directly using a number from its official website.
Kurt’s key takeaways
The Figure data breach is a reminder that technology alone cannot protect sensitive information. A single employee tricked into revealing credentials can expose hundreds of thousands of people. That is not a blockchain failure. It is a trust failure. If your data was involved, take action now. Even if it was not, treat this as a wake-up call. Your personal information has value. Criminals know it. Companies should know it too.
If one phone call can unlock nearly a million records, are companies investing enough in training people, or are they still betting everything on technology alone? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Related Article
Multiple sources are reporting that the Trump administration has dismissed the entire National Science Board (NSB). The NSB advises the president and Congress on the National Science Foundation (NSF), which has already been funding research at historically low levels and has seen significant delays in doling out that funding. The NSF has been fundamental in helping develop technology used in MRIs, cellphones, and it even helped get Duolingo get off the ground.
In a statement, Zoe Lofgren, the ranking Democrat on the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, said:
“This is the latest stupid move made by a president who continues to harm science and American innovation. The NSB is apolitical. It advises the president on the future of NSF. It unfortunately is no surprise a president who has attacked NSF from day one would seek to destroy the board that helps guide the Foundation. Will the president fill the NSB with MAGA loyalists who won’t stand up to him as he hands over our leadership in science to our adversaries? A real bozo the clown move.”
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Go to any people finder site right now and type in your name. What comes back might shock you: your age, home address, phone number, the names of your relatives, where you used to live and even what your property is worth.
You didn’t put that there, and you never consented to it. Still, it’s out there, and anyone with an internet connection can see it.
Scammers figured this out a long time ago. Since then, they’ve turned it into a system for targeting you, your parents and your kids.
So how does it actually work, and more importantly, what can you do to stop it?
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- For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com, trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.
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HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PERSONAL INFO FROM PEOPLE SEARCH SITES
A single person search result can reveal your address, relatives and years of personal history in seconds. (Kury “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
How scammers find your personal data online
Before a criminal sends a phishing email or makes a call, they do their homework. Importantly, they don’t need to hack anything. Instead, they use the same public websites that anyone can access.
In less than 10 minutes, a scammer can build a detailed profile on you using data broker sites like Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified and Intelius. Here’s what that profile looks like and how they build it step by step.
Step 1: How scammers search your name on people finder sites
It starts simply. A scammer types your name into a search site. Within seconds, they see results like:
John M. Patterson | Age: 61 | Cleveland, OH
- Also known as: John Michael Patterson
- Current address: [your street address]
- Previous addresses: 4 records found
- Phone numbers: 2 found
- Email addresses: 3 found
- Relatives: 5 found
That is the starting point. Many sites show partial data for free. That is often enough to confirm identity. Full reports cost only a few dollars, so access is easy. Scammers can repeat this process hundreds of times a day, building detailed profiles with very little effort.
Step 2: How scammers map your family and relatives
Next, this is where things get personal. Data broker profiles show more than your name. They reveal your family network.
That often includes:
- Spouse or partner
- Children
- Parents
- Siblings
- Roommates
As a result, scammers can target more than one person. For example, they may learn that your elderly parent lives alone or your child just moved. Because of that, scams like the grandparent scam feel real instead of random.
Step 3: How scammers use your address history
At this point, your address history becomes critical. It is not just about where you live. Instead, scammers use it to:
- Verify identity
- Find relatives
- Build trust
For example, referencing a past address makes a caller sound legitimate. That detail alone can lower suspicion.
Step 4: How scammers use your financial data
More importantly, data brokers also reveal financial clues. These may include:
- Estimated income
- Home value
- Ownership status
- Length of residence
This information comes from public records, not hacking. Because of this, scammers tailor their approach. Higher-income targets may see investment scams.
Others may get job or rental scams instead.
GOOGLE SEARCH LED TO A COSTLY SCAM CALL
Scammers use data broker profiles to map your family and build more convincing, targeted attacks. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)
Step 5: How scammers verify and cross-check your data
Before launching a scam, criminals often double-check everything. They don’t rely on just one site. Instead, they compare multiple data broker profiles, social media accounts and public records to confirm details are accurate.
For example, they may:
- Match your address across different sites
- Check Facebook or LinkedIn to confirm family relationships
- Look for recent moves, job changes or life events
Because of this, the profile becomes more reliable. That extra step is what turns a guess into something that feels real.
Step 6: How scammers create targeted scams
At that point, they have everything they need. They know your name, family, address and financial details. Now the scam becomes highly specific.
By the time you hear from them, they already know enough to sound like someone you trust.
- They may call your parent pretending to be you
- They may bypass bank security questions
- They may send texts that look like your child
- They may send emails that reference your life
As a result, the scam feels believable.
Data broker scams are already being prosecuted
This has already landed in court. The U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted companies like Epsilon, Macromark Inc. and KBM Group for selling data to scammers. Epsilon alone paid $150 million to victims.
At the same time, data tied to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center shows more than half of fraud cases involving older Americans were linked to exposed personal data. That shows how serious this problem has become.
Why is your personal data on data broker sites
You do not need to sign up for these sites. Instead, your data comes from many sources, including:
- Voter records
- Property records
- Court filings
- Social media
- Marketing surveys
- Loyalty programs
- Phone directories
- Other data brokers
Because of this, your information spreads quickly.
Why your data keeps reappearing online
Even after removal, your data often comes back. Data brokers constantly update their databases. They buy and resell fresh records. Because of that, one-time removal is not enough.
By the time a scam reaches you or your family, it is often built on real data pulled from multiple public sources. (Wei Leng Tay/Bloomberg)
How to disrupt a scammer’s research before they reach your family
The goal isn’t to disappear completely. It’s to make the profile messy enough, incomplete enough and hard enough to find that scammers move on to easier targets.
Here’s what you can do:
- Search for yourself first. Go to Spokeo, Whitepages, BeenVerified or any other people search site, and look up your own name. See exactly what’s there before a scammer does. That snapshot is your starting point.
- Submit opt-out requests manually. Every major data broker is required to honor removal requests. The catch: There are hundreds of them, each with its own process, and they relist your information regularly. It’s a full-time job.
- Use an automated removal service. This is where I strongly recommend a data removal service. Instead of spending hours submitting individual opt-out forms, a data removal service sends removal requests to 420-plus data brokers on your behalf and keeps sending them when your data reappears. Because it will reappear.
- Set up family alerts. Tell your elderly relatives that you will never ask for money via text from an unknown number. Establish a code word. Scams work because they create panic. A simple family protocol breaks the spell.
- Change your security questions. If your bank still uses “mother’s maiden name” or “city you were born in” as verification, that information is likely already on a data broker site. Switch to nonsense answers that only you know and store them in a password manager.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com
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Kurt’s key takeaways
This kind of scam works because it feels personal. When someone knows your name, your family and even where you used to live, your guard drops. That is exactly what criminals are counting on.
The uncomfortable truth is that your information is already out there, often in more places than you realize. You do not need to panic, but you do need to be proactive. The more you limit what is easily accessible, the harder it becomes for someone to build a convincing story around you. Start with a simple search of your own name. That one step can completely change how you think about your digital footprint. From there, take action to remove what you can and protect what you cannot.
If a stranger can build a detailed profile on your family in minutes, what does that say about how much of your life is already exposed online? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
- Get my best tech tips, urgent security alerts and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox.
- For simple, real-world ways to spot scams early and stay protected, visit CyberGuy.com – trusted by millions who watch CyberGuy on TV daily.
- Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide free when you join.
Copyright 2026 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Those Ikea lamps were around for two years after I moved from Orange County to Los Angeles. Soon after that move, my mom’s Parkinson’s disease — a neurodegenerative condition with no cure — progressed quickly, my mental health took a hit, and most of my own to-do list quietly slid to the back burner as she lost mobility and more urgent things took over. So the big, ugly lamps just… stayed. They became part of the background, like everything else I wasn’t taking care of.
I didn’t even have them plugged into a smart plug — another small upgrade I kept meaning to add to my bedroom, despite having them all over the apartment — which meant I had to get up every time I wanted to turn one on.
One blasted harsh, overpoweringly bright light through a cracked shade. The other was warmer — but not warm enough — so I solved that problem one exhausted night by just throwing a towel over it. Yes, a fire hazard. Yes, I meant it as a temporary fix for a few days. But scattered caregiving brain means temporary fixes can turn into long-term solutions. At some point, it stopped feeling temporary and just became my new normal, even if it clearly wasn’t.
Then my brother bought my mom and me two separate Govee Uplighter Floor Lamps for Christmas, and my Ikea lamp troubles were over. I did not expect to develop an emotional attachment to a lamp. But I did, and now it’s one of my favorite gadgets.
The Govee was quick and easy to assemble, and much slimmer, taking up way less space than the old lamps. As I got rid of the old and set up the new, I felt an odd sense of relief and a small sense of control I hadn’t felt since the move.
Within a week, the old lamp was out of my room. That small shift gave me momentum. I started decluttering other corners that had quietly piled up, things I’d been stepping around for months without really seeing anymore.
The bedroom stopped feeling like an unfinished project I was merely surviving, and started feeling steadier. Calmer. Like a place I could finally exhale in. My days often feel structured around what my mom needs and what has to get done next. I don’t really think about my own space at all, except as something else I haven’t gotten to yet. Having a room that felt calm, even a little bit, made it easier to wind down at the end of the day instead of carrying that feeling of being “on” all the time into the night. It brought me back to myself, even if only a little.
I could relax in a way I hadn’t in a while, without feeling like I should be getting up to do something else. I could dim the lamp from my phone instead of standing up. I could shift from cool to warm without needing a towel and risking starting a fire. There’s a ripple effect that slowly moves across the wall and, for reasons I can’t fully explain, genuinely helps me fall asleep. Cycling through soft colors in the app and syncing it with ambient music is soothing. Sometimes, the changing colors feel a little bit like magic, and I find myself watching them the way I might have as a kid, reminded — briefly — that life can be more playful than it’s felt in a while. The warm, shifting light seems to have a similar effect on my mom, who lives with me, sometimes comforting and even dazzling her as she navigates some of the more difficult parts of the disease, like sundowning, along with her own quiet grief of losing pieces of herself.
And I love that it does all that and more without demanding much. Setup took about 15 to 20 minutes and didn’t require that I try to wrap my head around tools. You control it through the Govee app on your phone, and because it supports Matter, you can also pair it with platforms like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control. It offers a wide range of colors, along with 80 preset scenes and seven music modes. At $179.99, it’s pricey, but it’s versatile, basically acting as three lights in one: a top section that casts a soft ripple onto the ceiling, a colorful middle light, and a regular white light at the bottom.
It’s an amazing gift, truly, and I am so grateful for it. Mine, however, had just one problem: It sometimes forgets to be a lamp. It doesn’t lose Wi-Fi. It doesn’t show as offline in the app. It just turns off randomly. The first time it happened, I was rewatching Stranger Things to prepare for the last season. The lights flickered on screen, and then my room went dark. The vibe went from relaxing to terrifying in a second, as I briefly wondered if reality and TV had merged (I might have also had too much wine). Once my brain rebooted, I opened the Govee app and turned it back on. No problem. I assumed it was a power or Wi-Fi issue. Govee sent me a new unit that worked perfectly.
When it works — which is most of the time — it quietly makes my life better. And somehow, that’s been enough to make it one of my new favorite gadgets. It didn’t fix everything, but it helped me start taking care of my space — and myself — again.
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