THE MCS GROUP PROVIDES NOTICE OF DATA PRIVACY EVENT

PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The MCS Group ("MCS") is providing notice of an event that may affect the privacy of information of certain individuals. MCS received this information in connection with services it provides regarding legal matters in which the impacted parties were involved or associated. This notice provides information about the event, MCS'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 December 25, 2020, MCS identified suspicious activity related to certain MCS systems. Upon discovery, MCS immediately commenced an investigation, which included working with third-party forensic investigators, to determine the full nature and scope of the incident and to secure its network.  Through this investigation, MCS determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to certain systems within its environment in December 2020 that store information related to services that MCS provides. As a result, the unauthorized actor may have gained access to or acquired information located within these systems.

What Information Was Involved?  MCS, with the assistance of third-party forensic investigators, conducted an extensive programmatic and manual review of the accessed systems to identify the types of information stored therein and to whom it relates. MCS is providing notice of this incident to those whose information was present in the affected systems and may have been viewed or taken by an unauthorized actor.  While the specific data elements vary for each potentially affected individual, the scope of information potentially involved includes individuals' names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, financial account information, and username and password combinations.  MCS has no reason to believe that any identity theft or unauthorized use of the affected information has occurred, and provided notice of the event in an abundance of caution.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? MCS is mailing notice letters to the individuals identified as impacted 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 MCS's dedicated assistance line, detailed below.

What Is MCS Doing?  MCS has strict security measures to protect the information in its possession, and has worked to add further technical safeguards to its environment. Following this incident, MCS took immediate steps to improve the security of its environment and increase its security posture. MCS also implemented additional training and education to employees to prevent similar future incidents. MCS also notified appropriate state regulators as required.

Whom Should Individuals Contact For More Information? If individuals have questions or would like additional information, they may call MCS's dedicated assistance line, (877) 644-1116 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.

What You Can Do? MCS 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:

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:

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.  

SOURCE The MCS Group, Inc.