EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I., May 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WD & Associates ("WD"), a division of Patriot Growth Insurance Services, LLC ("Patriot Growth"), is providing individuals with notice of an incident that may impact the privacy of certain information. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in WD's care is one of WD's highest priorities. WD is providing this notice with additional information about the incident, WD's response, and the resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so. 

What Happened?  WD discovered suspicious activity related to certain workstations and servers within its' environment. Upon discovery, WD immediately took steps to secure the network and launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the activity.  The investigation determined that certain files on WD's network had been accessed or taken by an unauthorized party between February 1, 2023 and February 9, 2023. As such, WD conducted a thorough and comprehensive review of the involved files to determine what information was contained therein and to whom it related.

What Information Was Involved? The investigation is ongoing and at the conclusion of the review, WD will notify those clients and individuals who are potentially affected by this incident. However, on or about March 1, 2024, the review identified files that contain the following information for certain individuals: name, date of birth, Social Security number, health insurance information, financial account information, medical information, driver's license number, and passport number. WD does not have evidence that involved information was subject to actual or attempted misuse as a result of this incident and WD is notifying individuals out of an abundance of caution.

What WD is Doing. WD takes this incident and the security of information in its care very seriously. WD moved quickly to respond and investigate the suspicious activity, assess the security of our network, and notify potentially impacted individuals. As part of the ongoing commitment to information security, WD reviewed relevant policies and procedures and implemented additional cybersecurity tools to reduce the risk of a similar incident from occurring in the future. WD also notified federal law enforcement and will notify relevant regulators, as required.

For More Information. For more information about this event or to determine whether you may be impacted, individuals may contact 1-833-918-5046, Monday through Friday from 6 am to 6 pm Pacific (Excluding major US holidays) or write to WD at 34 Hemingway Drive, East Providence, Rhode Island 02915. Individuals may also visit https://www.wdandassociates.com/.

What You Can Do. In general, individuals should remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits, and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Suspicious activity should be promptly reported to relevant parties including an insurance company, healthcare provider, and/or financial institution.

Additionally, 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 a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their 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 consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any 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 a consumer's name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of 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 they are a victim of identity theft.

Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 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. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the relevant state Attorney General.

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SOURCE Patriot Growth Insurance Services