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.
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.
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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:
- Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Addresses for the prior two to five years;
- Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
- A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.); and
- 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.
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