Data breaches → Mastercard Priceless Specials
Was your data in the Mastercard Priceless Specials breach?
2019 · specials.mastercard.de · ~89,388 accounts exposedCritical severity · 10/10
Mastercard Priceless Specials (specials.mastercard.de) suffered a data breach in 2019 that exposed around 89,388 accounts. If you had an account, some of your personal data may be circulating in leaked databases. The fastest way to know is to check your own email — free, in about 30 seconds, no password required.
What happened
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.
Breach details sourced from Have I Been Pwned, the industry-standard breach database. Risk analysis by Nullivo.
What was exposed, and why it matters
Not all breaches carry the same risk — what matters is which fields leaked. Here is what the Mastercard Priceless Specials breach exposed and what each item actually enables:
Direct financial fraud, plus convincing scam calls that quote your real card or account details to establish trust.
Enables SIM-swap attacks (hijacking your number to intercept SMS codes), smishing, and voice scams that appear to come from your bank.
Links this leak to your other accounts — a reused username lets anyone build a profile of you across platforms.
Puts you on spam and phishing lists, and confirms to attackers that you hold an account with this service — which makes impersonation emails more believable.
Reveals your approximate location and internet provider, which adds credibility to targeted scams.
Also listed in this breach: Email addresses, IP addresses, Names, Partial credit card data, Phone numbers, Salutations.
What to do if you were affected
These steps are ordered for this specific breach — the most urgent action given what leaked comes first.
- Payment or bank details: Contact your bank, ask them to monitor or reissue the card, and check statements for small “test” transactions.
- Phone numbers: Move two-factor authentication off SMS to an authenticator app or passkey, and add a port-out PIN with your mobile provider.
- Names and usernames: Search your usual username to see what else it exposes, and use distinct handles for sensitive accounts.
- Email addresses: Treat any message referencing this service with suspicion, and never act on links in unexpected emails.
- IP addresses: No direct action needed, but be wary of anyone quoting your location as “proof” of identity.
- Check whether your own email appears in this breach — run a free scan to confirm before you spend time on the steps above.
How urgent is this now?
This breach is over 7 years old. Old credentials still cause harm — leaked passwords from a decade ago are still tried against new accounts every day.
Remember: a breach can't be "un-leaked" — once a database is out, it exists in countless copies. The goal is to make the leaked data useless: change what can be changed, lock down what can't, and remove what has been republished.
Frequently asked questions
What data was exposed in the Mastercard Priceless Specials breach?
The Mastercard Priceless Specials breach exposed payment or bank details, phone numbers, names and usernames, email addresses, ip addresses. Direct financial fraud, plus convincing scam calls that quote your real card or account details to establish trust.
How many people were affected by the Mastercard Priceless Specials breach?
Around 89,388 accounts were exposed, making it a smaller, more targeted breach.
What should I do if I had a Mastercard Priceless Specials account?
Contact your bank, ask them to monitor or reissue the card, and check statements for small “test” transactions. You can check whether your own email appears in this breach with a free Nullivo scan — no password required.
Breaches that exposed similar data
If the Mastercard Priceless Specials breach affected you, these breaches exposed comparable information — worth checking too, since leaked datasets are routinely combined.
- Was your data in the GoldSilver breach? (2018, ~242,715 accounts)
- Was your data in the Guntrader breach? (2021, ~112,031 accounts)
- Was your data in the Regpack breach? (2016, ~104,977 accounts)
- Was your data in the Bonobos breach? (2020, ~2,811,929 accounts)
- Was your data in the PayAsUGym breach? (2016, ~400,260 accounts)
- Was your data in the Home Chef breach? (2020, ~8,815,692 accounts)