Welfare & Pension Administration Service, Inc. Provides Notice of Data Event

SEATTLE, Feb. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Welfare & Pension Administration Service, Inc. ("WPAS") is providing notice of a data event. Welfare & Pension Administration Service, Inc. ("WPAS") is a third-party administration firm that specializes in multi-employer benefit plan administration. This notice provides you with information about the incident, WPAS's response, and steps you may take to protect your personal information, should you feel it necessary.

What Happened? On July 21, 2021, WPAS discovered that portions of its computer network were infected with malware that affected certain systems. WPAS promptly activated its Incident Response Team, isolated the affected systems, initiated other containment measures, and with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident. On or about July 28, 2021, the investigation confirmed that certain folders may have been accessed or removed from WPAS's system. WPAS therefore undertook a lengthy, time-intensive, and thorough review of the affected folders to identify the information that was potentially impacted and to whom it related. On or around December 20, 2021, this process was completed and WPAS has been working with client funds to provide notification to potentially impacted individuals as quickly as possible.

What Information Was Involved? While the specific impacted information varies by individual; the investigation determined that the information which may have been impacted includes individual name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver's license number, passport number, employer identification number, financial account information and payment card information, electronic or digital signature, medical claims information, medical treatment or diagnosis information, prescription information, health insurance identification number, and health insurance group number. Importantly, there is no indication specific information was accessed or misused. However, together with and on behalf of its client funds, WPAS is providing notice of this incident.

What We Are Doing. Information security is one of WPAS's highest priorities, and it has security measures in place to protect information in its care. Upon discovering this incident, WPAS promptly took steps to mitigate potential harm from the event, including resetting passwords across the network, bringing in third-party forensic specialists to assist with the investigation and remediation, and notifying federal law enforcement of this event. WPAS is continuing to review and enhance existing policies and procedures and is implementing additional safeguards to further secure the information in its systems and reduce the likelihood of a similar future event. WPAS is also assisting its client funds with notifying relevant regulatory authorities. 

As an added precaution, WPAS is offering access to credit monitoring and identity protection services through Kroll, at no cost to individuals. You will find information on how to activate these services in the below "Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Information."

What You Can Do. WPAS is not aware of any fraudulent misuse of information. As a general precaution, WPAS encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Individuals can also review the information contained in the attached "Steps Individuals Can Take To Help Protect Information."

For More Information. If you have additional questions or concerns, please call the dedicated assistance line at (855) 568-2075, which is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time. You may also write to WPAS at PO Box 34203, Seattle, WA 98124-1203.

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT INFORMATION

Credit Monitoring

Visit wpas.kroll.com to activate and take advantage of your identity monitoring services.
You have until May 19, 2022 to activate your identity monitoring services.
For more information about Kroll and your Identity Monitoring services, you can visit info.krollmonitoring.com.

Monitor Accounts

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, 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 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. 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 Street, NW, Washington, DC 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. 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/. 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.

SOURCE Welfare & Pension Administration Service, Inc.