Transparency
Madison County Animal Shelter
Notice of Data Breach
On October 27, 2021, we learned that an inmate at the Madison County jail escaped from a work detail, broke into the Madison County Animal Shelter (the “Shelter”) and stole Shelter property, including a paper binder that included personal information for five Shelter employees.
On November 18, 2021, we mailed the following notice to those individuals who had personal information in the binder:
What Happened
On October 27, 2021, we learned that an inmate at the Madison County jail escaped from a work detail and broke into the Shelter. The inmate stole Shelter property, including a paper binder that included personal information for five Shelter employees. The Shelter uses the binder to store required records related to DEA authorizations and other information, such as certificates related to euthanasia. The police apprehended the inmate in Shelby County, Ohio the next day, recovered some items taken by the inmate and believe that other items, including the binder, were burned and destroyed by the inmate.
What Information Was Involved
The binder contained your name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.
What We Are Doing About It
The Shelter takes the protection of personal information very seriously. It is the Shelter’s policy to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information, to keep it out of plain sight, and to restrict access to it. The inmate found the binder after breaking into a locked office through an air conditioning system and rifling through a desk drawer. To further enhance our security, we have taken or will be taking the following steps:
- Closely monitoring and restricting outside access to our premises;
- Implementing a new camera surveillance system;
- Enhancing paper storage procedures; and
- Updating our response procedures to more quickly and effectively respond to incidents.
We are cooperating with law enforcement’s investigation, including the ultimate retrieval of some of the stolen items as well as the conclusion that the other stolen items were likely burned and destroyed by the inmate. In addition, consistent with our compliance obligations and responsibilities, we are providing notice of this incident to appropriate state regulators.
What Can You Do
Although the Shelter is not aware and does not suspect of any misuse of your personal information, in an abundance of caution, we recommend that you take the following preventative measures to help protect your information:
- Enroll in a complimentary, one-year membership with Experian. This membership will provide you with identity monitoring services, including a copy of your credit report at signup; credit monitoring; identity restoration; Experian IdentityWorks ExtendCARETM; and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance. Instructions on how to activate your membership are included at the end of this letter.
- Remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by regularly reviewing your account statements and monitoring free credit reports for any unauthorized or suspicious activity. Information on additional ways to protect your information, including how to obtain a free credit report and free security freeze, can be found at the end of this letter.
- Report any incidents of unauthorized activity, suspicious activity or suspected identity theft to your local law enforcement, state Attorney General and the major credit bureaus.
For More Information
If you have any questions or concerns about this incident, please give me a call at 859-624-4702.
We are very sorry this incident happened and for any inconvenience you may have experienced. The privacy and security of your information is very important to us and we remain committed to doing everything we can to maintain the confidentiality of your information.
Very truly yours,
Morgan Elliston
Human Resources Coordinator
Madison County Government
135 West Irvine Street, 3rd Floor
Richmond, KY 40475
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT AND WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Visit www.experian.com/credit-advice/topic-fraud-and-identity-theft.html for general information regarding identity protection. You can obtain additional information about fraud alerts, security freezes, and preventing identity theft from the consumer reporting agencies listed below and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by calling its identity theft hotline: 877-438-4338; TTY: 1-866-653-4261. They also provide information online at www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft. The FTC’s address is: Federal Trade Commission, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. You have the ability to place a security freeze on your credit reports by contacting the following agencies.
National Credit Reporting Agencies Contact Information
|
Equifax |
Experian |
TransUnion |
Obtain Your Credit Report
You should also monitor your credit reports. You may periodically obtain your credit reports from each of the national consumer reporting agencies. In addition, under federal law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies listed above. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report by going to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228. You also may complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form available from the FTC at www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0093-annual-report-request-form.pdf and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You may also contact any of the three major consumer reporting agencies to request a copy of your credit report.
If you discover inaccurate information or a fraudulent transaction on your credit report, you have the right to request that the consumer reporting agency delete that information from your credit report file.
Fraud Alerts
You may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert is free and will stay on your credit file for at least 90 days. The alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that the creditor contact you prior to establishing any new accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any of the three national credit reporting agencies using the contact information listed above. As soon as one credit bureau confirms the fraud alert, they will notify the others. Additional information is available at www.annualcreditreport.com.
Security Freeze
You have the ability to place a security freeze on your credit report at no cost to you. 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 may be able to use an online process, an automated telephone line, or a written request to all three of the credit reporting agencies listed above. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse, 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; (5) a legible copy of a government-issued identification card, (6) proof of current address, such as a legible copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement, (7) a legible copy of a recent W-2, pay stub, or Social Security card, and (8) if you are a victim of identity theft, a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue.
After receiving your freeze request, each credit reporting company will send you a confirmation letter containing a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place, you will need it if you choose to lift the freeze. If you do place a security freeze prior to enrolling in the credit monitoring service as described above, you will need to remove the freeze in order to sign up for the credit monitoring service. After you sign up for the credit monitoring service, you may refreeze your credit file.
Additional Helpful Information
Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that you check your credit reports periodically. Checking your credit report periodically can help you spot problems and address them quickly.
If you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or have reason to believe your information is being misused, call your local law enforcement agency and file a police report. Be sure to obtain a copy of the police report, as many creditors will want the information it contains to absolve you of the fraudulent debts. You may also file a complaint with the FTC by contacting them at the information provided above.
If your personal information has been used to file a false tax return, to open an account or to attempt to open an account in your name, or to commit fraud or other crimes against you, you may file a police report in the city in which you currently reside.
STATE SPECIFIC INFORMATION
Kentucky residents: You may also obtain information about preventing and avoiding identity theft from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office. This office can be reached at:
Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Office of Consumer Protection
1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 200
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
https://ag.ky.gov
(502) 696-5389
