ASOS Breach Exposes Shopping Searches. Expect Fake Account Alerts

Online fashion retailer ASOS confirmed this week that hackers stole customer personal information and shopping search history during a data breach. This matters because scammers now have enough detail about your account to send convincing fake messages asking you to "verify" or "update" your information.

What was stolen

The breach exposed names, email addresses, phone numbers, and browsing history, including what items customers searched for but never bought. That last detail is the dangerous part. A scammer can now send you a message that says, "We noticed you were looking at winter coats last month. Confirm your account to complete your purchase," which feels personal enough to be real.

What to do now

If you have an ASOS account, change your password immediately. Use a password you don't use anywhere else. Go directly to asos.com in your browser (don't click a link in an email or text message). Log in, go to your account settings, and change your password there.

Watch for messages claiming to be from ASOS asking you to verify your account, update payment details, or confirm your identity. ASOS will not ask you to do these things via email or text. If you get one of these messages, do not click any links. Delete it and move on.

If you use the same password on other sites, change those passwords too. The more places your old password works, the more places a scammer can try to get in.

You now know more about this breach than most people who use the site. That puts you ahead of the scammers.