Mastercard Data Breach
Status: Confirmed
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: Mastercard · Actor: Unknown · Source: Have I Been Pwned / ObscureIQ intelligence
Attack: Data Exfiltration via Under investigation
Timeline: Breach (Aug, 2019) · Reported (Sep, 2019) · Leak (9/1/19)
Exposure: 89K+ records · Email, IP addresses, Names, Partial credit card data, Phone numbers, Salutations
Status: Confirmed · Risk: High (Financial fraud + Phishing / SIM swap)
Summary
In August 2019, the German Mastercard bonus program “Priceless Specials” suffered a data breach. Personal data on almost 90k program members was subsequently extensively circulated online and included names email and IP addresses phone numbers and partial credit card data. Following the incident, the program was subsequently suspended.
About Mastercard
Mastercard is the organization affected by this breach. User data may have been generated through account creation, service usage, or business operations.
If you have interacted with Mastercard in any capacity, your data may be included in this breach.
Threat Actor: Unknown
The threat actor responsible for this breach has not been publicly identified or confirmed at this time.
- Under investigation
Breach Exploitation Status
High
Status
Detected
Possible
Detected
Possible
Unknown
3–5 years
Phone numbers and addresses change over time but remain valid long enough for sustained exploitation campaigns.
Data Points Exposed
Dark Web Verification
Status: Confirmed
- Dataset containing approximately 89K+ records has been identified in breach intelligence sources.
- The data is indexed and searchable across breach notification platforms.
Impact
This breach carries high risk due to the nature of exposed data fields and the scale of affected records.
- Targeted phishing referencing Mastercard accounts or services
- Financial fraud and unauthorized transactions
- SIM-swap attempts where phone numbers are present
- Physical mail scams and address-based identity verification fraud
- Data broker enrichment and resale
Recommendations for Impacted Individuals
If you believe your information may be included:
Non-clients may request a breach impact review.
Mastercard account updates
Financial transaction confirmations
Password reset requests
Verify directly through official channels.
Email compromise is often the first pivot point.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Aug, 2019, Mastercard experienced a data breach that resulted in the exposure of approximately 89K+ records containing personal information.
The exposed data includes Email, IP addresses, Names, Partial credit card data, Phone numbers, Salutations.
Approximately 89K+ records were affected based on current breach intelligence.
Yes. This breach is treated as confirmed based on data observed in breach intelligence platforms.
Data circulation has been detected across breach-sharing channels. Downstream exploitation risk exists based on the nature of the exposed fields.
Rotate passwords associated with Mastercard, enable multi-factor authentication on email and financial accounts, and monitor for suspicious activity.
Protect Yourself
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Corporate Accountability
Organizations that collect personal data have a duty to implement reasonable safeguards and to notify affected individuals when breaches occur.
Scope assessments may evolve as investigations continue. Users should not rely solely on early estimates when making risk decisions.
ObscureIQ Advisory
We combine proprietary dark web access with commercial and restricted breach intelligence to verify exposure and assess real-world risk.
- A public-facing individual
- A high-profile executive
- A customer of Mastercard
- Or simply concerned about credential reuse
We can confirm whether your information is circulating and evaluate downstream threat vectors.