Alameda, CA – Saltzman & Johnson Law Corporation (“SJLC”) experienced a data security incident that may have resulted in unauthorized access to some individuals’ personally identifiable information. The privacy and security of the information we maintain is of the utmost importance to SJLC. While we are unaware of any fraudulent misuse of personal information at this time, we are providing details about the incident, and steps we are taking in response.

What Happened?  On March 7, 2022, SJLC received notice that a phishing campaign originated from one of our employee’s email account. Immediately, SJLC began to remediate the issue, including engaging with cybersecurity experts to perform forensic investigation on the compromised account to determine the nature and scope of the incident. The forensic team concluded on April 19, 2022 that an unauthorized party gained access to the email account in order to propagate a phishing campaign. A data mining firm was then engaged to ascertain if any personal information was stored on the compromised account and the data mining firm concluded their investigation on June 28, 2022.  However, from this, SJLC performed an investigation into the compromised account and discovered personal information stored on the account. Based  on  our  ongoing  comprehensive  investigation  and  document  review,  SJLC determined which individuals were impacted as a result of this Incident and then reviewed hundreds of files to obtain addresses for the impacted individuals. SJLC completed their list of the impacted population with addresses on January 24, 2023. This step was necessary so that SJLC could send a notice letter of the Incident to ensure the potentially impacted individuals are aware of the incident.

What Information Was Involved? Based on the investigation, the following information may have been subject to unauthorized access: name, address, social security number, date of birth, driver’s license, health insurance information, and medical information.

What We Are Doing. Data privacy and security is among SJLC’s highest priorities, and we are committed to doing everything we can to protect the privacy and security of the personal information in our care. Since the discovery of the incident, SJLC moved quickly to investigate, respond, and confirm the security of our systems. Specifically, SJLC has several mitigating steps, such as: adding additional authentication measures for all users; conducting additional training, including weekly phishing training; changing procedures to not email sensitive data; and advising third-parties to not email to SJLC sensitive data unless necessary.

SJLC continues to utilize a Cybersecurity Committee comprised of a subset of the firm’s management; the Cybersecurity Committee is responsible for drafting and implementing cybersecurity policy; the Cybersecurity Committee is also responsible for overseeing the firm’s outside information technology vendor with regard to implementation of cybersecurity protocols including password protocols, software, as well as implementation of the annual risk assessment and review of the results.

What You Can Do We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your account statements, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity. Additionally, security experts suggest that you contact your financial institution and all major credit bureaus to inform them of such a breach and then take whatever steps are recommended to protect your interests, including the possible placement of a fraud alert on your credit file. Please review the below Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information, to learn more about how to protect against the possibility of information misuse.  

For More Information If you have any questions or concerns not addressed in this letter, please call 1-800-405-6108 (toll free) Monday through Friday, during the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time (excluding U.S. national holidays).

SJLC sincerely regrets any concern or inconvenience this matter may cause, and remains dedicated to ensuring the privacy and security of all information in our control.

Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information

Credit Reports: You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account.  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.

Furthermore, to help protect your deceased family member, there are steps you can take to request a copy of your deceased family member’s credit report.  An executor or surviving spouse can place a request to any of the three credit reporting agencies for a copy of the deceased individual’s credit report.  An executor or surviving spouse can also request that the following two notices be placed on a deceased individual’s credit report:

• “Deceased – Do not issue credit”; or

• “If an application is made for credit, please notify the following person(s) (e.g. surviving relative, executor/trustee of the estate and/or local law enforcement agency – notifying the relationship).” 

Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting companies is as follows:

Equifax
PO Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
www.equifax.com
1-800-525-6285

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

TransUnion
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
www.transunion.com
1-800-680-7289

For more information regarding identity theft and the deceased, please visit http://www.idtheftcenter.org and search for “FS 117 – Identity Theft and the Deceased – Prevention and Victim Tips.” You should also notify the Social Security Administration and Internal Revenue Service of the death of your family member and that you received this letter.

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:

Equifax Security Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348
1-800-349-9960
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/

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

TransUnion Security Freeze
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094
1-800-909-8872
www.transunion.com/credit-freeze

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.

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.

FTC and Attorneys General: 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. 

For residents of Hawaii, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming: It is recommended by state law that you remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing credit card account statements and monitoring your credit report for unauthorized activity.

For residents of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and West Virginia: It is required by state laws to inform you that you may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account. 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.

For residents of Iowa: State law advises you to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement or to the Attorney General.

For residents of Massachusetts: It is required by state law that you are informed of your right to obtain a police report filed in regard to this incident. If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it.

For residents of New Mexico: State law advises you to review personal account statements and credit reports, as applicable, to detect errors resulting from the security breach.

For residents of Oregon: State law advises you to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement, including the Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission.

For residents of Rhode Island: It is required by state law that you are informed of your right to file or obtain a police report in regard to this incident.

For residents of Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island: You can obtain information from the Offices of the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity theft.

Federal Trade Commission – Consumer Response Center: 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580; 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338); www.identitytheft.gov

Arizona Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection & Advocacy Section, 2005 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004 1-602-542-5025

Colorado Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection 1300 Broadway, 9th Floor, Denver, CO 80203 1-720-508-6000 www.coag.gov

District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General – Office of Consumer Protection: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-727-3400; www.oag.dc.gov

Illinois office of the Attorney General – 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601; 1-866-999-5630; www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov

Maryland Office of the Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-888-743-0023; www.oag.state.md.us

New York Office of Attorney General – Consumer Frauds & Protection: The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224; 1-800-771-7755; https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/identity-theft

North Carolina Office of the Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699; 1-877-566-7226; www.ncdoj.com

Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General – Consumer Protection: 150 South Main St., Providence RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; www.riag.ri.gov