Plumsted Township Impacted By Data Security Incident

PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP, N.J., Oct. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Plumsted Township is providing notice of a recent event that took place on their systems that may affect the privacy of information of certain Plumsted Township residents.  This notification provides information about the event, Plumsted Township's response to it, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they feel it necessary to do so.

What Happened?  On or about May 24, 2021, Plumsted Township became aware of suspicious activity related to their email environment. Following this, Plumsted Township promptly launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists to assess the security of its systems and the nature and scope of this incident. This investigation determined that an unauthorized individual gained access to the Plumsted Township email environment between April 19, 2021 and May 24, 2021.  However, they were unable to determine which emails and attachments in the account were subject to unauthorized access.  They reviewed the entire contents of affected email accounts to determine what, if any, sensitive information was impacted. On September 2, 2021, Plumsted Township's review determined that the account contained sensitive information and began to notify individuals who potentially had data impacted by this event.

What Information Was Involved?  While the specific data elements vary for each potentially affected individual, and it is important to note that no potentially affected individual would have had all of the data elements listed below present in the impacted files, the scope of information potentially involved includes: name; address; Social Security number; date of birth; driver's license number or state identification number; financial account information; medical history information; and health insurance or group plan number. Plumsted Township is in the process of notifying individuals whose information was involved.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? Plumsted Township is mailing notice letters to the individuals identified as impacted. If an individual did not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call Plumsted Township dedicated assistance line, detailed below.

What Is Plumsted Township Doing?  Data privacy and security are among Plumsted Township's highest priorities, and they have worked to add further technical safeguards to their environment. As part of Plumsted Township's ongoing commitment to the security of information, all policies and procedures are being reviewed and enhanced where appropriate, and workforce training is being conducted to reduce the likelihood of a similar event in the future.

Whom Should Individuals Contact For More Information? If individuals have questions or would like additional information, they may call Plumsted Township dedicated assistance line, 800-559-8305 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

What Can You Do? Plumsted Township encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements and explanation of benefits forms, and to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. 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:

Individuals can further educate themselves 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 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. Plumsted Township is located at 121 Evergreen Rd, New Egypt, NJ 08533.

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.

SOURCE Plumsted Township