Notice Of Cyber Incident

Los Angeles, California – December 9, 2021 – Anderson McPharlin & Conners LLP (“AMC”) experienced a cybersecurity incident on June 24, 2021 (“Incident”) that may have resulted in the disclosure of certain individuals’ personal information.  This notice is intended to alert those individuals of the Incident and steps they can take to protect themselves.

What Happened?

On June 24, 2021 AMC experienced a network intrusion that resulted in the encryption of information stored on its computer systems.  Upon discovery of the Incident, AMC immediately terminated access to its environment and took steps to secure its systems before bringing them back online.

AMC also engaged a specialized cybersecurity firm to conduct a forensics investigation of the Incident to determine the nature and scope of the attack and the potential compromise of sensitive information stored on AMC’s systems.  The investigation concluded on August 26, 2021 and determined that an unauthorized party had access to data stored on AMC’s information systems.

Thereafter, AMC conducted an internal investigation in an attempt to identify those individuals whose personally identifiable information (“PII”) may have been compromised as a result of the Incident.  However, due to the number of affected files potentially containing PII and lack of complete contact information for all individuals, AMC is providing substitute notice of the Incident pursuant to applicable law.

What Information Was Impacted?

While AMC does not have any evidence of misuse of PII, AMC is nonetheless notifying individuals of the Incident out of an abundance of caution and for purposes of full transparency.  Based on the investigation, the unauthorized party may have had access to one or more of the following data elements: name, address, date of birth, social security number, driver’s license number, financial account information, and/or limited health information. Please note that not every data element was present for every individual.

What Steps Have We Taken to Protect Your Information?

Following the Incident, AMC has continued to strengthen its security posture by adding the following security controls: strengthening password complexity requirements; updating intrusion detection and intrusion prevention policies; and updating security awareness and training for our employees.

Additionally, we have also obtained complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection for all potentially affected individuals. We encourage you to take advantage of the complimentary credit monitoring services and identity theft protection.

What Steps Can You Take to Protect Your Information?

If you believe that AMC may have had your PII in connection with any cases handled by AMC in which you were a party, please call 1-800-405-6108 to obtain a code to register for complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.  Please note that you may be required to provide the case information.

AMC 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.

Additional steps you can take to protect yourself are outlined below.

Credit Reports:  You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies.  To order your free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228.  You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.

Fraud Alerts: You can place fraud alerts with the three credit bureaus by phone and online with Equifax (https://assets.equifax.com/assets/personal/Fraud_Alert_Request_Form.pdf); TransUnion (https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts); or Experian (https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html).  A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts.  For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit.  As of September 21, 2018, initial fraud alerts last for one year. Victims of identity theft can also get an extended fraud alert for seven years.  The phone numbers for all three credit bureaus are at the bottom of this page.

Monitoring: You should always remain vigilant and monitor your accounts for suspicious or unusual activity.

Security Freeze: You also have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report.  A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent.  To place a security freeze on your credit report, you need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency.  You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, regular stamped mail, or by following the instructions found at the websites listed below.

The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse or a minor under the age of 16, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles.  The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement.  It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue.  As of September 21, 2018, it is free to place, lift, or remove a security freeze.  You may also place a security freeze for children under the age of 16.  You may obtain a free security freeze by contacting any one or more of the following national consumer reporting agencies:

AMC sincerely regrets any inconvenience that this Incident may cause you and remains dedicated to protecting your information. If you have any questions or concerns about this incident, please contact 1-800-405-6108 between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time for more information.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Widener
Partner