Notice of a Data Incident
Alexander & Ewert, LLC (“A&E”) recently learned of a security incident that involved the personal information of a limited number of individuals when an unauthorized third party gained access to an A&E employee email account. While A&E is not aware any fraudulent activity or misuse of information as a result of the incident, it is notifying potentially affected individuals regarding the incident.
Upon learning of the incident, A&E promptly secured the email account and engaged a leading forensic security firm to investigate the incident. As part of the investigation, an intensive search for any personal information in the involved email account that the unauthorized third party could have accessed was undertaken. On February 17, 2021, A&E determined that the email account contained some individuals’ personal information. The type of information at issue varied for each individual, but may have included name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, financial account number, username and password, and/or limited medical information.
On August 9, 2021, A&E sent written notification to the individuals whose personal information was contained in the email account for whom it has contact information and arranged for complimentary identity theft protection services for those individuals whose Social Security numbers and/or driver’s license numbers were involved in the incident.
Individuals should refer to the notice they will receive in the mail regarding steps they can take to protect themselves. Again, A&E is not aware any fraudulent activity or misuse of information as a result of the incident, but as a precautionary measure, individuals should remain vigilant to protect against potential fraud and/or identity theft by, among other things, reviewing their account statements, monitoring their credit reports closely, and notifying their financial institutions if unusual activity is detected. They should also promptly report any fraudulent activity or suspected identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, including the police and their state’s attorney general.
Individuals may also wish to review the tips provided by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) on fraud alerts, security/credit freezes and steps that they can take to avoid identity theft. For more information and to contact the FTC, please visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338). Individuals may also contact the FTC at: Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.
A&E takes the security of individuals’ personal information very seriously and apologizes for any inconvenience or concern this incident might cause. Additional information is available via a confidential, toll-free inquiry line at 855-623-1931 from 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MT, Monday through Friday, excluding major US holidays.
