Fake data dumps can be used as a marketing tool for the cyber underground. They can be a distraction or smokescreen for waging a real attack on the victim. Even the insinuation that a firm was hacked, as in the recent case of StubHub users whose stolen credentials were used for ticket fraud, can stick. Deloitte’s Allison Nixon has come up with a streamlined way to vet data dumps to save time and resources. Check for unique-looking artifacts such as passwords, passwords, etc., simply perform a search for them.”]
Source: https://www.darkreading.com/cloud/keep-calm-verify-how-to-spot-a-fake-online-data-dump