Sachs Sax Caplan, P.L. Provides Notice Of Data Privacy Event

BOCA RATON, Fla., March 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Although they are unaware of any actual or attempted misuse, Sachs Sax Caplan, P.L. ("SSC") is providing notice of a data privacy event impacting the security of certain information stored on its systems.

What happened? On February 26, 2020, SSC identified suspicious activity related to certain SSC systems. Upon discovery, SSC immediately commenced an investigation, which included working with third-party forensic specialists, to determine the full nature and scope of the incident and to secure its network. SSC determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to certain systems and email accounts within its environment in January and February 2020. As a result, the unauthorized actor may have gained access to or exfiltrated information located within these systems and email accounts. While SSC was able to determine that these systems and email accounts were accessed, SSC was unable to determine which sensitive information located within these systems and email accounts may have been actually accessed or acquired by the unauthorized actor. Therefore, in an abundance of caution, SSC conducted an extensive programmatic and manual review of the affected systems and email accounts to identify the information stored therein that may have been affected by this event.

What information may have been affected by this incident? The affected systems and email accounts contained information related to certain SSC clients and other individuals involved in legal matters handled by SSC. The type of information affected varies per impacted individual, and includes one or more of the following types of information: name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license number or state identification card number, credit or debit card number, electronic signature, financial account number, and medical or health-related information.

Although SSC cannot confirm that any individual's information was actually viewed by an unauthorized individual, they are providing this notice because they determined the types of information listed above were present in the affected systems or email accounts. SSC has no evidence of actual or attempted misuse of any individual's information as a result of this incident.

How will individuals know if they are affected by this incident? SSC is mailing notice letters to the potentially affected individuals for whom they have valid mailing addresses. If an individual did not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call the dedicated assistance line listed below.

What is SSC doing in response? Upon discovering this incident, SSC immediately launched an investigation and took steps to secure its systems and determine what personal, confidential, and client data might be at risk. SSC has reviewed its existing policies and procedures, implemented additional safeguards, and is providing additional training to its employees on data privacy and security. SSC is also notifying state and federal regulators, as required. Because SSC has insufficient contact information for some of the individuals whose information may be contained in the impacted systems and email accounts, they are providing notice to those potentially impacted individuals by way of a notification published in Florida media outlets.

Who should individuals contact for more information? If individuals have questions or would like additional information, they may call SSC's dedicated assistance line at 800-668-0605 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

What can individuals do to protect their information? While SSC is unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of any information involved in this incident, they encourage those potentially impacted by the event to take steps to better protect against identity theft and fraud if they feel it is appropriate to do so.

Monitor Your Accounts. To protect against the possibility of identity theft or other financial loss, SSC encourages consumers to remain vigilant, to review account statements, Explanation of Benefits statements, and to monitor their credit reports for suspicious activity.

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, military identification, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 441 4th St. NW #1100 Washington, D.C. 20001; 202-727-3400; and [email protected].

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-528-8662 or 1-888-743-0023; and www.oag.state.md.us. SSC is located at 6111 Broken Sound Pkwy NW #200, Boca Raton, FL 33487.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; www.riag.ri.gov; and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. There are approximately 2 Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violator. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov/.

SOURCE Sachs Sax Caplan, P.L.