The Home For Little Wanderers Provides Notice Of Data Incident

BOSTON, July 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home For Little Wanderers ("HFLW") recently learned that a former employee's key card was used to access the HFLW records room on April 28, 2018.  While the records room was not altered in any way and there was no evidence that any files were viewed, there are paper files within the room which include personal information relating to program participants.  Although there is no indication of actual or attempted misuse of program participants' information, The Home For Little Wanderers is notifying participants whose records may have been subject to unauthorized access in a recent incident and providing these participants with information and resources that can be used to better protect against the possibility of identity theft or fraud if they feel it is appropriate to do so. 

What Happened

On May 4, 2018, the Home for Little Wanderers learned that a former employee's key card was used to access the HFLW records room on April 28, 2018.  While the records room was not altered in any way and there was no evidence that any files were viewed, there are paper files within the room which include personal information relating to program participants.  HFLW immediately began to investigate to determine who may have used the card to gain access, for what purpose and for how long.  To date, HFLW has found no evidence to suggest that your personal information was subject to actual or attempted misuse, but were unable to determine who accessed the records room.  Upon discovery, HFLW immediately deactivated the key card of the former employee.  

Information Affected

While HFLW have no evidence that program participant information was subject to any actual or attempted misuse, our investigation determined that participants' [names, addresses, Social Security numbers and in some instances health information] were included in the paper records in the records room.

Notification

The Home For Little Wanderers is mailing letters to impacted participants and is providing those participants with 12 months of credit monitoring and identity restoration  services through Kroll, Inc.  The Home For Little Wanderers is also informing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about this incident. 

Fraud Prevention Tips

The Home for Little Wanderers encourages affected individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud and to seek to protect against possible identity theft or other financial loss by regularly reviewing their financial account statements, credit reports, and explanations of benefits for suspicious activity. Anyone with questions regarding how to best protect themselves from potential harm resulting from this incident, including how to receive a free copy of one's credit report, and place a fraud alert or security freeze on one's credit file, is encouraged to call 1-800-638-9739, between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays.

SOURCE The Home for Little Wanderers