MILLER-SCHURING AGENCY PROVIDES NOTICE OF EMAIL DATA INCIDENT
Dear Miller-Schuring Agency Customers:
Miller-Schuring Agency (“MSA”) respects the privacy and integrity of information it maintains. For this reason, we are writing to inform you about an email security incident that may have impacted a small number of individuals’ personal and/or protected health information.
What Happened
On August 26, 2020, our staff became aware of unusual activity in a company email account. Because of this, we quickly initiated our response to contain and evaluate the unusual activity. As part of this response, we worked with industry-leading forensic investigation specialists to determine the nature and scope of the incident. We determined that a single email account was accessed without authorization between June 15, 2020, and August 26, 2020, and that some emails may have been acquired.
Because some emails may have been acquired, we used a firm to review all potentially impacted emails and attachments, which was completed October 9, 2020. The review established the presence of personal information and/or protected health information. Our investigation found no evidence of attempted or actual misuse of any individual’s personal information. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure we are proactively providing this notice and guidance to assist individuals with protecting their personal information.
What Information Was Involved
The information maintained in the email account varied by individual but collectively consisted of first and last names and the following data elements: date of birth, health and health insurance information, financial account information, and Social Security numbers.
What We Are Doing
We investigated the data security incident and are notifying potentially impacted individuals and providing guidance as to steps individuals may take to protect their information, should they feel it is appropriate.
As an added precaution, we are offering access to credit monitoring and identity theft protection services without cost to potentially impacted individuals.
To further protect individuals’ information from unauthorized access, we implemented additional technical security measures and training designed to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
What Individuals Can Do
Individuals may review the “Additional Resources” section included with this notice, which describes steps they can take to help protect themselves, including recommendations by the Federal Trade Commission regarding identity theft protection and details on how to place a fraud alert or a security freeze on their credit file.
For More Information
For further information, please call 855-940-5299 (toll free), Monday – Friday, between 9:00AM – 9:00PM EST. We take the protection of all data we maintain very seriously and apologize for any inconvenience. We trust that the services we are offering demonstrate our continued commitment to individuals’ security and satisfaction.
Sincerely,
Amy Lafler
Accounting and Human Resources
Miller-Schuring Agency
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Free Credit Report. It is recommended that individuals remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing account statements and monitoring their credit reports for unauthorized activity over the next twenty-four months, and immediately report incidents of suspected identity theft to both their financial provider and law enforcement.
You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. You may also seek to have information relating to fraudulent transactions removed from your credit report. To order your annual free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228.
Individuals can also order their annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s website at www.consumer.ftc.gov) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.
For Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and Vermont residents: Individuals may obtain one or more (depending on the state) additional copies of their credit report, free of charge. Individuals must contact each of the credit reporting agencies directly to obtain such additional report(s).
Fraud Alert. At no cost, individuals may place a fraud alert in their file by contacting one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies below. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting individuals before they open any new accounts or change individuals’ existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect individuals, but also may delay individuals when they seek to obtain credit. If individuals are a victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years.
Equifax
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348
1-888-766-0008
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19106
1-800-680-7289
https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts
Security Freeze. Individuals have the right place a security freeze on their credit report free of charge.
A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in their name without their consent. To place a security freeze on a credit report, individuals may be able to use an online process, an automated telephone line, or a written request to any of the three credit reporting agencies listed below. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if individuals are requesting a credit report for their spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; (5) legible copy of a government issued identification card; (6) legible copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement that displays the individual’s name and current mailing address, and the date of issue; and (7) any applicable incident report or complaint filed with a law enforcement agency.
Equifax
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
TransUnion
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094
1-888-909-8872
www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
Federal Trade Commission and State Attorneys General Offices. If individuals believe they are the victim of identity theft or have reason to believe their personal information has been misused, they should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission and/or the Attorney General’s office in their home state. They may also contact these agencies for information on how to prevent or avoid identity theft. Individuals may contact the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338), and TTY: 1-866-653-4261.
For North Carolina residents, individuals may contact the Attorney General by mail, phone, or website. They may also obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft. Mail: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; Phone: 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; Website: www.ncdoj.gov.
For Maryland residents, individuals may contact the Attorney General by mail, phone, or website. They may also obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft. Mail: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; Phone: 1-410-528-8662; Website: www.oag.state.md.us.
For New Mexico residents, individuals have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”). Those rights include but are not limited to 1) the right to be told if information in their credit file has been used against them; 2) the right to know what is in their credit file 3) the right to ask for their credit score; and 4) and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the FCRA, the consumer reporting agencies must 1) correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; and 2) limit access to individuals’ files; and 3) get their consent for credit reports to be provided to employers. Additionally, consumer reporting agencies may 1) not report outdated negative information; and 2) limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance individuals receive based on information in their credit report. Individuals may also seek damages from violators. Individuals 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 individuals to review their rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.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, individuals may contact the Attorney General by mail, phone, or website. They may also obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft. Mail: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; Phone: 1-800-771-7755; Website: https://ag.ny.gov/.
For Rhode Island residents, individuals may contact the Attorney General by mail, phone, or website. They may also obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft. By Rhode Island law, individuals have the right to obtain any police report filed about this incident. Mail: 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; Phone: 1-401-274-4400; Website: www.riag.ri.gov.
For District of Columbia residents, individuals may contact the Attorney General by mail, phone, or email. They may also obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft. Mail: 441 4th St. NW #1100 Washington, D.C. 20001; Phone: 1-202-727-3400; Email: [email protected].