Experts say hackers are stealing every American's Social Security number.

(NewsNation) – Civil rights advocates fear a potential tsunami of identity theft after a hacking group stole the personal records of nearly three billion people.

The robbery took place in April, according to Class action lawsuit A lawsuit has been filed in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The lawsuit alleges that a hacking group known as USDoD stole records from National General Datawhich provides personal information to employers, private investigators, and others who conduct background checks.

The Pentagon reportedly tried to sell the data for $3.5 million, but has now posted most of it for free on an online exchange for stolen personal data. The department claims to have 2.9 billion records containing personal data on people in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Several news sites have examined parts of the data and reported that it appears to be information belonging to real people. The National Public Data Authority did not respond to multiple media requests for comment.

According to the site computer making sound“Each record consists of the following information – the person’s name, mailing address, and Social Security number, with some records including additional information, such as other names associated with the person. None of this data is encrypted.”

Experts say the most effective action you can take now is to freeze your credit files with the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransunionThis will prevent others from signing up for credit cards or opening other financial accounts in your name.

But if you want to apply for something that requires a credit check, you'll need to lift the freeze.

Big warning: Don't respond to an unsolicited email claiming to be from a credit bureau. Experts say it's likely from scammers who want to “save” you from other scammers.

There are also paid services that monitor your accounts and monitor the dark web.