CITY OF NORTH PORT, FL PROVIDES NOTICE OF DATA PRIVACY EVENT

NORTH PORT, Fla., Sept. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The City of North Port, FL (the “City”) is providing notice of a recent event that may have impacted the privacy of certain individuals’ personal information. The City takes this incident very seriously and is providing information about the incident, our response to it, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

What Happened? On or about January 11, 2022, the City discovered suspicious activity in our computer network. We immediately took steps to secure our systems and launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the event, with the assistance of third-party computer forensic specialists. The investigation determined that on January 11, 2022, certain files in our systems were subject to unauthorized access. In response, we undertook a thorough and time-intensive review of the data stored within these files to determine the type of information contained therein and to whom that information pertains to. We completed our comprehensive review on August 5, 2022, and worked diligently to provide this notice as quickly as possible. Although there is no evidence that anyone’s information was actually viewed or acquired by an unauthorized party, we cannot rule out this possibility. While we are unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of any particular person’s information as a result of this event, we are providing this notice out of an abundance of caution.

What Information Was Involved? The information that may have been impacted by this event varies by individual but includes: name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, medical/health information, and health insurance information. We are providing this notice out of an abundance of caution as the investigation was unable to determine whether any personal information was actually viewed or acquired, and we have no evidence of any actual or attempted fraudulent use of information resulting from this event.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? The City mailed notice letters to the individuals identified as potentially impacted. If an individual does not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call the City’s dedicated assistance line, detailed below.

What The City Is Doing. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of personal information within our care is among our highest priorities, and we have strict security measures in place to protect the information in our care. Upon learning of the event, we have taken additional steps to improve our security and better protect against similar incidents in the future. We are also notifying applicable regulator(s) of the event.

Whom Should Individuals Contact For More Information? If individuals have questions or would like additional information, they may call the City’s dedicated assistance line at 855-544-2906, between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding major U.S. holidays.

What You Can Do. The City encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors over the next 12 to 24 months. Under U.S. law individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report, place a fraud alert, or a security freeze. Contact information for the credit bureaus is below.

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, 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:

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. 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.

SOURCE City of North Port, FL

Source Link