GLOBAL IMPACT PROVIDES NOTICE OF DATA PRIVACY EVENT

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Dec. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Although they are unaware of any actual or attempted misuse, Global Impact is providing notice of an event impacting the privacy of certain information stored on their systems. 

What Happened? Global Impact determined an unauthorized individual accessed a small number of Global Impact and Geneva Global email accounts between December 2020 and January 2021. As a result, it is possible the unauthorized individual may have accessed or acquired information regarding certain individuals that was located in the accessed accounts. Global Impact initially discovered suspicious email account activity on January 13, 2021, and subsequently performed a thorough investigation, with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, to determine the full nature and scope of the incident and to secure its systems. Global Impact then undertook a detailed review of the accessed email accounts to identify any personal information stored in the accounts. The preliminary results of this review were provided on May 27, 2021, and Global Impact has worked since this time to verify the individuals impacted and locate current address information in order to provide an accurate notification.

What Information Was Involved? The accessed email accounts contained information related to certain donors and employees of Global Impact. The type of information affected varies per individual, and includes one or more of the following types of information: name, date of birth, financial account number, medical or health-related information, health insurance information, passport number, taxpayer identification number, and for a very small number of individuals, a payment card number or a Social Security number.

While there is no evidence that actual or attempted identity theft or fraudulent use of this information has occurred, and after a lengthy, detailed investigation involving forensic specialists, Global Impact is notifying individuals whose information was present in the email accounts at the time of the unauthorized access in an abundance of caution.

How Will Individuals Know if They Are Affected By This Incident? Global Impact 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 Global Impact Doing in Response? Following this incident, Global Impact took immediate steps to secure the impacted accounts and conducted a thorough investigation. Global Impact has also implemented additional training and education to their employees. Additional monitoring tools and security measures have been put in place to ensure its systems are secure and to help prevent similar future incidents. Because Global Impact has insufficient contact information for some of the individuals whose information was contained in the impacted email accounts, they are providing notice to those potentially impacted individuals by way of a notification published in media outlets in all fifty states.

Who Should Individuals Contact for More Information? If individuals have questions or would like additional information, they may call the Global Impact dedicated assistance line at (855) 545-2507, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Eastern Time.

What Can Individuals Do To Protect Their Information? While Global Impact is unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of any information involved in this incident, those potentially impacted by the event are encouraged 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, Global Impact encourages you to remain vigilant, to review your account statements, Explanation of Benefits statements, and to monitor your 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. 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 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, 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:

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.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th St. NW Washington, D.C. 20001; 202-727-3400; and [email protected].

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-528-8662 or 1-888-743-0023; and www.oag.state.md.us. Global Impact is located at 1199 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 300, Alexandria, VA 22314.

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 incident. There are approximately 2 identified Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident.

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/.

SOURCE Global Impact