AB Staffing Solutions, LLC Provides Notice Of Data Privacy Event

GILBERT, Ariz., Dec. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- AB Staffing Solutions, LLC ("AB Staffing") provides notice of a recent incident that may impact the security of information related to current and former professionals placed by AB Staffing.  The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in AB Staffing's care is one of our highest priorities and we take this incident very seriously.  To date, AB Staffing has not received any reports of actual or attempted misuse of affected information.

What Happened? AB Staffing discovered suspicious activity related to certain AB Staffing employee email accounts. Upon learning of this activity, AB Staffing took steps to secure the accounts and began an investigation, which included working with third-party forensic investigators, to determine the nature and scope of the activity.  Through this investigation, AB Staffing determined that an unknown actor gained unauthorized access to certain AB Staffing employee email accounts on separate occasions in May and June 2020.  During this limited timeframe, the unauthorized actor may have had access to certain emails and attachments within the accounts.

What Information Was Involved?  While the investigation was able to determine certain email accounts were accessed, it was unable to determine whether any specific email or attachment was actually accessed by the unauthorized actor.  Therefore, in an abundance of caution,  on or about October 13, 2020, AB Staffing, with the assistance of third-party forensic investigators, completed an extensive, programmatic and manual review of the contents of the impacted email accounts to determine the types of protected information contained in the email accounts and to which individuals the information relates.  Upon completion of this review, AB Staffing immediately launched a review of its files to ascertain address information for the impacted individuals.  This review confirmed that information related to certain current and former professionals placed by AB Staffing were present in one of the email accounts at the time of this incident.  This information includes name, date of birth, address, Social Security, driver's license/government identification number, passport number, financial account information, medical history/treatment information, insurance information, electronic signature, tax identification number, and/or username and password.

What We Are Doing.  Upon discovering this incident, AB Staffing reset the relevant account passwords and took steps to determine what personal data was at risk.  AB Staffing is individually notifying the potentially affected individuals and as an added precaution, is providing individuals with access to complementary credit monitoring and identity protection services.  As part of its ongoing commitment to the security of personal information in its care, AB Staffing is working to review existing policies and procedures, to implement additional safeguards, and to provide additional training to employees on data privacy and security. AB Staffing will also be notifying state regulators, as required.

For More Information. You may have questions about this incident that are not addressed in this letter. If you have additional questions, please call AB Staffing's dedicated assistance line at 1-855-914-4684, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9am and 9pm Eastern Time. You may also write to AB Staffing at 3451 S. Mercy Rd, Gilbert, Arizona 85297 or its website at www.abstaffing.com

What You Can Do. AB Staffing sincerely regrets any inconvenience this incident may have caused affected individuals related to this matter.  AB staffing encourages you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your account statements, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious activity.  Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus.  To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.

You have the right to place a "security freeze" on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security 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 security 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 security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior 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.);
7. If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.

As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on your 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 agencies listed below:

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. 

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); 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 Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 1-410-528-8662, 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 agencies 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 North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000, www.ncdoj.gov. You can obtain information from the Attorney General or the Federal Trade Commission about preventing identity theft.

For New York residents, the Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; https://ag.ny.gov/.

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903; www.riag.ri.gov, 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. There is at least one Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident.

SOURCE AB Staffing