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Notice of June Data Event

July 29, 2022 – Minuteman Senior Services (“MSS”) is issuing notice of a recent data security event that may impact the confidentiality of information related to certain consumers. We are providing information about the event, our response, and steps potentially affected individuals may take to better protect against the possibility of identity theft and fraud, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On June 1, 2022, MSS identified suspicious activity related to an employee’s email account.MSS promptly undertook an extensive investigation to determine the nature and scope of the event. The investigation confirmed an employee email account was accessible by an unknown individual for less than 24 hours on June 1, 2022. In an abundance of caution, MSS is in the process of performing a comprehensive review of the information stored within the email account at the time of the event to determine what information was contained within the account and to whom the information related. Once this review is complete, MSS will work to determine the identities and contact information for any potentially affected individuals and provide appropriate notifications via written letter.

What Information was Affected. The types of information that may have been present in the impacted email account during the event varies by individual and could have included: full name, address, date of birth, gender, health insurance information, diagnosis, and service utilization.

What We are Doing. MSS takes this event and information security very seriously. Upon learning of this event, we immediately secured the impacted email account. As part of our ongoing commitment to the information security, we are enhancing our existing policies and procedures and implementing additional administrative and technical safeguards to further secure the information in our care. MSS also reported the event to appropriate governmental agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What Affected Individuals Can Do. As a precautionary measure, individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements, credit reports, and explanations of benefits for unusual activity and to detect errors. Any suspicious activity should be promptly to your insurance company, health care provider, or financial institution. Additional information can be found below in the Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information.

For More Information. If you have additional questions, please call our dedicated toll-free assistance line at (888) 526-4190, Monday through Friday, during the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time (excluding U.S. holidays). You may also write to MSS at 26 Crosby Dr., Bedford, MA 01730.

Steps You Can Take To Help Protect Your Information

Monitor Your Accounts

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 one-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:

 

Equifax

Experian

TransUnion

Website

Website

Website

888-298-0045

1-888-397-3742

800-916-8800

Equifax Fraud Alert,
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA
30348-5069

Experian Fraud Alert,
P.O. Box 9554,
Allen, TX
75013

TransUnion Fraud Alert,
P.O. Box 2000,
Chester, PA
19016

Equifax Credit Freeze,
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA
30348-5788

Experian Credit Freeze,
P.O. Box 9554,
Allen, TX
75013

TransUnion Credit Freeze,
P.O. Box 160,
Woodlyn, PA
19094

 

Additional Information

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. 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 oag.dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202;1-888-743-0023; and www.oag.state.md.us.

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/.

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 event.