Paytm
MEDIUM RISKData breach — August 2020
In August 2020, the Indian payment provider Paytm was reported as having suffered a data breach and subsequent ransom demand, after which the data was circulated publicly. Further investigation into the data concluded that the breach was fabricated and did not originate from Paytm. The impacted data covered 3.4M unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, genders, dates of birth, income levels and previous purchases.
search Check if you were affected — freeData exposed in this breach
What happened in the Paytm data breach?
In August 2020, the Indian payment provider Paytm was reported as having suffered a data breach and subsequent ransom demand, after which the data was circulated publicly. Further investigation into the data concluded that the breach was fabricated and did not originate from Paytm. The impacted data covered 3.4M unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, genders, dates of birth, income levels and previous purchases.
The exposed data included 8 types of personal information. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was Paytm hacked?
Yes. Paytm was breached in August 2020. The breach exposed 3,395,101 records including dates of birth, email addresses, genders. This breach has been independently verified. If your email was involved, your data may still be at risk today. Check if you were affected.
Why was the Paytm breach so dangerous?
The Paytm breach exposed 3,395,101 records — that is 3.4M people whose personal data is now circulating on the dark web. The combination of dates of birth, email addresses, genders makes this a medium-risk breach that should be addressed promptly.
Don't wait to find out — check if your email was exposed in this breach now.
What data was stolen in the Paytm breach?
Dates of birth — used to verify identity for account takeover and fraud
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Genders — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Geographic locations — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Income levels — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Names — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Phone numbers — enables SIM swapping attacks and targeted SMS phishing scams
Purchases — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Is the Paytm breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Paytm breach remains dangerous years after the incident. Research shows that over 65% of stolen credentials from older breaches have never been changed by the account holders. Attackers routinely compile data from multiple breaches to build complete profiles, and credentials from 2020 are still actively used in credential stuffing attacks today.
Personal information like email addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth never expire. Even if you changed your Paytm password, the other exposed data can be combined with information from other breaches to target you. Learn more about how long stolen data stays dangerous.
Frequently asked about the Paytm breach
Approximately 3,395,101 user records were exposed in the Paytm breach in August 2020.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Paytm password elsewhere and haven't changed it, those accounts remain at risk today.
Enter your email in the free checker on EmailLeaked. We scan 12 billion+ breach records including the full Paytm dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Paytm password immediately, change any other account where you used the same password, enable two-factor authentication on all important accounts, and monitor for phishing emails over the next 90 days.
Who was affected by the Paytm breach?
The Paytm data breach affected approximately 3,395,101 users who had accounts with the service. While not the largest breach on record, it still represents a significant number of compromised accounts in our database of 970+ known breaches.
If you ever created an account with Paytm or used their services, your data may have been included in this breach. Check your email now to find out. You can also read our guide on what to do immediately after a data breach.
If your email was in the Paytm breach
Change your Paytm password immediately
Go to Paytm and change your password right now. Use a strong, unique password that you have never used anywhere else.
Change any account sharing that password
If you used the same password on other sites, change it on every one of them. Attackers test stolen credentials on hundreds of popular sites within hours.
Enable two-factor authentication
Turn on 2FA on Paytm and every important account. Even if your password is known, attackers cannot get in without the second factor.
Check your other accounts for this breach
Run a full email check to see every breach your email appears in — not just this one.
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