Feb 25, 2020, 12:02 PM by sh

Summary: We want to provide the facts related to an incident that may affect the security of personal information of certain current and former plan participants originally posted on Feb. 25, 2020.

Full Story:   AFTRA Retirement Fund (hereafter referred to as “We”, “AFTRA”, “Our”) recently discovered an incident that may affect the security of personal information of certain current and former plan members of SAG-AFTRA Health Plan (hereafter referred to as “Health Plan”) and its Retirement Fund. We take this incident very seriously and the confidentiality, privacy, and security of our information is one of our highest priorities. 

What Happened?  On October 28, 2019, AFTRA received an alert of suspicious activity in its environment. AFTRA immediately launched an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident. As part of the investigation, which was conducted with the assistance of a third-party forensic expert, it was determined that an unauthorized individual accessed AFTRA employees’ credit card information and made a small amount of unauthorized purchases using that information. AFTRA also determined that certain files and folders on AFTRA’s network may have been subject to unauthorized access for periods of time between October 24, 2019 and October 28, 2019.  At this time, AFTRA does not have evidence that files containing personal information were accessed; however, access to these files could not be ruled out.  Out of an abundance of caution, AFTRA then undertook a time-consuming review of all the files and folders that may have been accessed to determine what sensitive information they may contain.
 
After several months of a thorough investigation, AFTRA completed an analysis of the contents of the files and folders and prepared a list of potentially impacted individuals whose information was determined to be present and possibly viewable by the unauthorized individual. If you were determined to be a potentially impacted individual, you will receive a notice letter from AFTRA advising you of this, which includes an offer for complimentary credit monitoring services.
 
What Information Was Involved?  The information in the files and folders that was potentially subject to unauthorized access includes: Name, Social Security number, AFTRA Number, Date of Birth, Date of Death, Address, Past Information about: eligibility, dependent(s), claims, earnings, contributions, and beneficiaries. The data potentially impacted varied by individual. Once again, AFTRA does not have evidence that personal information has been accessed but it cannot be ruled out and AFTRA is notifying individuals out of an abundance of caution.
 
What We Are Doing.  AFTRA takes this incident and the security of information in its care very seriously. AFTRA is reviewing its existing security measures and working to implement additional safeguards to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. AFTRA will also notify the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services and any required state or federal regulators regarding this incident.
 
What You Can Do.  As a best practice, you should always carefully review your Explanations of Benefits for suspicious or unauthorized activity, and report any instances of fraud to law enforcement. You should also review your account statements for suspicious activity.  If you see any unauthorized charges, promptly contact the bank or credit card company.
 
If you have questions or concerns that are not addressed in this notice, you may call the dedicated assistance line we’ve established regarding this incident. Please call 1-833-971-3245 Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET (excluding some U.S. holidays).

 
What can I do to protect my information?
 
Monitor Your Accounts.
AFTRA encourages you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft, to review your account statements, and to monitor your credit reports and explanation of benefits forms 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. 

Security Freeze.
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 no order of preference):

TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19016 1-888-909-8872 (Please note that the previous number circulated here and in letters to home addresses was incorrect)  www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

Experian PO Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/freeze/center.html

Equifax PO Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

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;

The credit reporting agencies have one (1) to three (3) business days after receiving your request to place a security freeze on your credit file report, based upon the method of the request.  The credit bureaus must also send written confirmation to you within five (5) business days and provide you with the process by which you may remove the security freeze, including an authentication mechanism.   Upon receiving a direct request from you to remove a security freeze and upon receiving proper identification from you, the consumer reporting agency shall remove a security freeze within one (1) hour after receiving the request by telephone for removal or within three (3) business days after receiving the request by mail for removal. 
 
Place Fraud Alerts.
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 (in no order of preference):

TransUnion P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19106 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resource/place-fraud-alert

Experian P.O. Box 2002 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com/fraud/center.htm

Equifax P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-888-766-0008 www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

File Police Report.
You have the right to file or obtain a police report if you experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You can generally report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement or to the Attorney General.

Additional information on how to protect your identity.
You can also 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, your state Attorney General, or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at:  600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338); and TTY: 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 also obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should 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 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 are 79 Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident.
 
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 Washington, D.C. residents, the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia can be reached at: 441 4th Street NW, Suite 1100 South, Washington, D.C. 20001; 1-202-442-9828; https://oag.dc.gov.
 
For media inquiries contact Kelly Wallace of TrailRunner International at  kelly.wallace@trailrunnerint.com.