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Data Breach

On August 30th The Freecycle Network / Freecycle.org became aware of a data breach on Freecycle.org. We are reaching out to you to ask that you change your Freecycle.org password as soon as possible. We very much apologize for the inconvenience.

The breach of data includes usernames, User IDs, email addresses and hashed passwords. Because of the exposure of personal passwords we are taking every measure to quickly inform members about the need to change their passwords. If you have used the same password elsewhere, you are well advised to change the password there as well. No other personal information was compromised. The breach has been closed and has been reported to the respective privacy authorities.

There are two ways to reset your password:

1. Preferred method: Go to My Settings, here: https://www.freecycle.org/home/settings/ and scroll down to the Password Reset section. Enter your new password in both fields. Make sure you do not use this password for any other site. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Save Changes. You will be asked to log in with your new password.

2. If you aren't able to log in or can't get to the Settings page, request a password reset here: https://freecycle.org/login?reset-password. Follow the instructions in the email you receive. Please allow up to an hour to receive the email as our email system is very busy at this time. If you don't receive an email, check your Spam folder. Mark the message Not Spam, which will move it to your inbox, where you can safely proceed. If you use Gmail, the message may have gone to one of Gmail's default folders, such as Social, Updates, Forums, or Promotions.

If you have difficulty changing your password, click the green question mark at the bottom of any page of the Freecycle.org website to send our Help Team volunteers a message. You do not need to be logged in to contact us.

Further information on the breach and on how to change your password may be found here:

https://freecycle.helpscoutdocs.com/article/319-data-breach-august-2023

[and there is a "?" on that page if you have further questions]

 

Here are some useful links to help keep you safe:

Find out what past data breaches have involved your personal information.

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

 

Learn how to recognize phishing emails (USA):

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams#report

 

Learn how to recognize and report phishing scams (UK):

https://www.gov.uk/report-suspicious-emails-websites-phishing#:~:text=Forward%20suspicious%20emails%20to%20report,(%20NCSC%20)%20will%20investigate%20it

 

Again, we thank you for your generous gifting and apologize for the hassle.

 

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Privacy: https://www.freecycle.org/pages/privacy

Contact: https://www.freecycle.org/pages/contact

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My Dashboard: https://www.freecycle.org/home/dashboard

My Posts: https://www.freecycle.org/home/my-posts

My Towns: https://www.freecycle.org/home/my-towns