Yes, phishing is one way that cyber criminals gain access to your PII. You should learn to recognize phishing scams to protect your PII. These include both emails and text messages that look like they come from legitimate sources and ask you to provide such information as your passwords, credit card numbers, or Social Security number. These emails are typically designed to look like they come from your bank, your financial institution or a government agency. If you're wondering what happens to your data after a security breach, the answer is that it puts you at risk in a variety of ways. For example, your information can be sold on the dark web, which is a section of the internet that isn't indexed by search engines and is accessed by cyber criminals through special software. Bad actors can also use your data to steal your identity, which sets you up for myriad problems that can have severe financial consequences. In worst case scenarios, thieves can use the information gained during a phishing attack to blackmail you.