People's identities for sale; prices start at just $1
In some cases, prices start at just $1.
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We look at how this is happening and what you can do to protect yourself today on News Center 7 Daybreak from 4:25 a.m. until 7 a.m.
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The prices start at $1 on online marketplaces to buy a Social Security number and more.
Justin Gray, from our sister station WSB TV in Atlanta, reports he has even seen a spreadsheet of identities offered for free to a company for not paying a ransom in a data breach.
'You don't have to be very skilled. You just need to know where to look,' said Professor David Maimon.
We will update this story.
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CNBC
17 minutes ago
- CNBC
Millions of student loan borrowers may be headed for default: Here's who's most at risk—and how to avoid it
Student loan payments can cost borrowers hundreds of dollars each month. But falling behind on those payments may wind up being even costlier. Advocacy organizations and student loan experts have warned of a coming "default cliff" for millions of borrowers who are already behind on payments. The last of the pandemic-era safeguards expired earlier this year, and President Donald Trump's administration has made it clear it is intent on collecting outstanding loans. "We are committed to ensuring that borrowers are paying back their loans, that they are fully supported in doing so," Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote in The Wall Street Journal in April. Federal student loans enter default when a borrower goes 270 days without payment. The potential wave of defaults is the culmination of a number of circumstances. Borrowers weren't required to make payments from March 2020 until September 2023, but loan servicers were instructed not to report delinquency — missed payments — to credit bureaus until September 2024. That delinquency reporting resumed at the beginning of 2025. Now, borrowers who continue to miss payments risk having their tax refunds withheld and wages garnished. Around 8 million borrowers had loans in default in March 2020, according to Federal Student Aid data. That figure dropped to 5.3 million by March 2025, largely due to Fresh Start, a Biden-era program that allowed defaulted borrowers to have their loans brought back into good standing between April 2022 and October 2024. As of the second quarter of 2025, roughly 10% of student debt was at least 90 days past due, according to Federal Reserve data. Around 13% of loans entered "serious delinquency," or exceeded 90 days past due, in the second quarter. Black and other minority borrowers, those who did not complete a degree or credential, older borrowers, low-income borrowers and other groups are among those most likely to default. Here is the share of borrowers at least 90 days past due on their loans in each state, as of the first quarter of 2025, according to the most recent Federal Reserve data: If you're unsure about the status of your loans, log into your account to see if they're headed toward default or already there. When you default on your student loans, the entire balance comes due immediately, a process known as acceleration. You can get out of default by paying off that balance, but that is not likely a viable option for most borrowers. If you take no action once your loans are in default, you risk having your Social Security payments and tax refunds withheld or your wages garnished. "This can importantly include refundable tax credits, including those that are meant to protect against child poverty, such as the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit," Abby Shafroth, managing director of advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center said in a recent media briefing. You will be barred from accessing any additional federal student aid and your credit score — which would likely already be damaged from the missed payments — can take another hit. "Borrowers who struggle to afford their payments [who wind up] in default can then sort of paradoxically be compelled to repay more each year, and more in total over the life of the loan, than if they'd not fallen into default," Shafroth says. The combination of acceleration, wage garnishment and Treasury offset could have a borrower paying more in the short-term and in total than they would have on an income-driven repayment plan, Shafroth says. Borrowers may also face collection fees and interest capitalization which is when the interest owed gets added to the principal balance. They also lose access to income-driven repayment plans and any loan forgiveness they may have otherwise qualified for. To get out of default, you'll need to either pay off the balance or enter loan rehabilitation. In loan rehabilitation, you'll negotiate a payment plan with your servicer and be required to make nine consecutive, on-time payments. Your monthly payment can be as low as $5 during this period, depending on your income, according to Federal Student Aid. However, your wages may still be garnished and won't count toward your payment progress during rehabilitation. Once your loans are rehabilitated, they are considered in good standing and you may once again apply for income-driven repayment plans. If you're struggling to make your student loan payment, try to contact your loan servicer as soon as possible to see what your options are. The first line of defense for many borrowers is enrolling in an income-driven repayment plan. Your payment can be as low as $0 a month depending on your income when you enroll. However, if you have explored those options, you should consider applying for a deferment or forbearance, Shafroth says. Deferment and forbearance both pause mandatory payments for borrowers in certain financial situations like unemployment or major medical treatments. Borrowers need to apply through their loan servicer and demonstrate their financial need in order to be granted either option and interest may continue accruing if your request is approved. "Those temporarily pause payments, they're not a long-term solution, but they're a good temporary solution," she says.
CNN
29 minutes ago
- CNN
Explosion at US Steel plant in Pennsylvania leaves 2 dead, 10 injured
An explosion rocked a US Steel plant outside Pittsburgh on Monday, leaving two dead and 10 others injured, including a person who was rescued from the smoldering rubble after hours of being trapped. The explosion sent black smoke spiraling into the midday sky in the Mon Valley, a region of the state synonymous with steel for more than a century. Allegheny County Emergency Services said a fire at the plant in Clairton started late Monday morning. Officials said they had not isolated the cause of the blast. The rumbling from the explosion, and several smaller blasts that followed, jolted the community about 15 miles (24 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh. 'It felt like thunder,' Zachary Buday, a construction worker near the scene, told WTAE-TV. 'Shook the scaffold, shook my chest, and shook the building.' At a news conference, Scott Buckiso, US Steel's chief manufacturing officer, did not give details about the damage or casualties, and said they were still trying to determine what happened. He said the company, now a subsidiary of Japan-based Nippon Steel Corp., is working with authorities. Allegheny Health Network said it treated seven patients from the plant and discharged five within a few hours. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center said it is treating three patients at UPMC Mercy, the region's only level one trauma and burn center. According to the company, the plant has approximately 1,400 workers. In a statement, the United Steelworkers, which represents many of the Clairton plant's workers, said it had representatives on the ground at the plant and would work to ensure there is a thorough investigation. David Masur, executive director of PennEnvironment, an environmental group that has sued US Steel over pollution, said there needed to be 'a full, independent investigation into the causes of this latest catastrophe and a re-evaluation as to whether the Clairton plant is fit to keep operating.' US Steel CEO David B. Burritt said the company would investigate. It's not the first explosion at the plant. A maintenance worker was killed in a blast in September 2009. In July 2010, another explosion injured 14 employees and six contractors. According to online OSHA records of workplace fatalities, the last death at the plant was in 2014, when a worker was burned and died after falling into a trench. After the 2010 explosion, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined U.S. Steel and a subcontractor $175,000 for safety violations. US Steel appealed its citations and fines, which were later reduced under a settlement agreement. In February, a problem with a battery at the plant led to a 'buildup of combustible material' that ignited, causing an audible 'boom,' officials said. Two workers received first aid treatment but were not seriously injured. The plant, a massive industrial facility along the Monongahela River south of Pittsburgh, is considered the largest coking operation in North America and is one of four major US Steel plants in Pennsylvania. The plant converts coal to coke, a key component in the steel-making process. To make coke, coal is baked in special ovens for hours at high temperatures to remove impurities that could otherwise weaken steel. The process creates what's known as coke gas — made up of a lethal mix of methane, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The county health department initially told residents within 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of the plant to remain indoors and close all windows and doors, but lifted the advisory later Monday. It said its monitors didn't detect levels of soot or sulfur dioxide above federal standards. In June, US Steel and Nippon Steel announced they had finalized a 'historic partnership,' a deal that gives the U.S. government a say in some matters and comes a year and a half after the Japanese company first proposed its nearly $15 billion buyout of the iconic American steelmaker. The pursuit by Nippon Steel for the Pittsburgh-based company was buffeted by national security concerns and presidential politics in a premier battleground state, dragging out the transaction for more than a year after US Steel shareholders approved it. This story has been updated with additional information.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
2026 Social Security COLA estimated at 2.7%. Why seniors still fall behind.
Social Security recipients are still forecast to see a 2.7% bump in their monthly checks next year, the same as last month's estimate, based on the latest inflation report, a new analysis showed. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), the index used to calculate the annual adjustment to Social Security benefits, increased 2.5% in July. Overall inflation rose 2.7%, flat from June. The Federal Reserve's inflation goal is 2%. The annual adjustment, also known as the cost-of-living-adjustment (COLA), to Social Security benefits is meant to help seniors maintain their purchasing power over the years, but that hasn't always worked, said Mary Johnson, an independent Social Security and Medicare policy analyst. "Prices on the items that older Americans use the most remain elevated," she said. Categories that see higher levels of inflation than the overall rate include housing, medical costs, transportation and groceries. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' most recent weighting for older consumers, these categories when added together comprise more than 85% of household budgets of consumers age 62 and older. Why is July COLA estimate important? The actual Social Security COLA estimate that the Social Security Administration typically announces in October is based on inflation data in the third quarter, or July, August and September. So July is the first month that will be considered for the 2026 COLA calculation. Here's how COLA is calculated: CPI-W for July, August and September are averaged, and then compared against the average of the same three months in the prior year. The percentage of difference is what the Social Security Administration uses to determine the annual COLA adjustment. CPI-W largely reflects the broad index the Labor Department releases each month, although it sometimes differs slightly. Last month, the overall consumer price index rose 2.7% and the index for urban wage earners increased 2.5%. Social Security's future The Social Security Office of the Chief Actuary estimates President Donald Trump's tax package moves the insolvency date for the Social Security trust fund forward by about three months from 2033 to 2032. Part of that is due to the increase in the standard deduction for those age 65 and older from 2025 through 2028. The higher standard deduction means less overall tax liability for most Social Security beneficiaries, but it also means lower revenues received by the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds from the taxation of benefits. 'Congressional legislators did not include any provision to replace these program funds that were formerly earmarked for the payment of current Social Security and Medicare benefits,' Johnson said. According to Social Security Trustees, a 25.8% cut in 2034 benefits would be necessary. Johnson calculates a 25.8% reduction could cut lifetime Social Security income for beneficiaries at an average age of 65 in 2025 by $176,400 over a 25-year retirement. How many people receive Social Security benefits? In July, 74.36 million people received Social Security, according to the Social Security Administration. These beneficiaries include retired workers, disabled workers, survivors of deceased workers and those receiving Supplemental Security Income. The average monthly benefit was $1,863.12 in July. Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@ and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.
