Clawson Honda Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Personal Information

On Feb. 27, 2025, Clawson Honda of Fresno, a family-owned dealership in Fresno, Calif., discovered suspicious activity on its network. The dealership immediately began an investigation, which revealed that certain files within its network environment may have been accessed or copied without authorization between Feb. 27 and Feb. 28, 2025.

According to the disclosure filed with the California Attorney General on Jan. 21, 2026, the incident potentially exposed personal information, specifically names, of individuals associated with Clawson Honda of Fresno.

On March 9, 2025, the PLAY ransomware group’s dark web posting claimed to have obtained a wide array of sensitive data, including private and personal confidential data, client documents, budget, payroll, accounting, tax information, identification documents, and financial records.

The official notice to consumers confirms the exposure of names and other personal identification information, including sensitive data such as social security numbers, addresses, driver's licenses, and dates of birth. The disclosure did not specify the total number of individuals affected.

This incident is considered severe due to the nature of the attack and the potential breadth of data claimed to have been compromised.

Clawson Honda of Fresno's response

Upon discovering the breach, Clawson Honda of Fresno launched an investigation with cybersecurity profesionals to determine the scope and impact of the incident.

As a precaution, Clawson Honda of Fresno is offering affected individuals complimentary access to Experian IdentityWorks credit monitoring services for a set period (as detailed in the consumer notice). Impacted individuals are encouraged to enroll in these services by April 30, 2026, to monitor for signs of identity theft or fraud. The credit monitoring package includes daily Experian credit reports, credit monitoring, identity restoration support, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.

The company also recommends that affected individuals remain vigilant by reviewing account statements, monitoring free credit reports, and considering placing fraud alerts or credit freezes with the three major credit bureaus. Resources and detailed instructions for these protective steps are included in the notice to consumers, which will be available in PDF format at the bottom of this article’s page.

If fraudulent activity is suspected, individuals should contact Experian’s customer care team and consider filing a police report or contacting the Federal Trade Commission.