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This letter is formal notice provided to you
on behalf of Smith College by Moriarty & Primack, P.C. and in compliance with
the requirements of Chapter 93H of the General Laws of Massachusetts.
A breach of data security occurred sometime
during the evening of October 26, 2009 at the Springfield offices of Moriarty &
Primack, the independent auditors for Smith College’s Emeriti Retiree Health
Benefit Plan.
For further information, please check www.smith.edu/databreach.
If you wish to speak to someone about questions or concerns you may contact Patrick
Leary at Moriarty & Primack, One Monarch Place, Springfield, MA 01144, (413) 739-1800,
or Smith College’s
Department of Human Resources, (413) 585-2260.
Under Massachusetts law, you have the right to obtain
any 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.
Massachusetts law also allows consumers to place a security
freeze on their credit reports. A security freeze prohibits a credit reporting agency from releasing
any information from a consumer’s credit report without written authorization. However,
please be aware that placing a security freeze on your credit report may delay, interfere
with, or prevent the timely approval of any requests you make for new loans, credit
mortgages, employment, housing or other services. A security freeze remains
in place until removed by you.
If you have been a victim of identity theft, and you
provide the credit reporting agency with a valid police report, it cannot charge
you to place, lift or remove a security freeze. In all other cases, a credit reporting
agency may charge you up to $5 each to place, temporarily lift, or permanently
remove a security freeze. We will reimburse you for the one time cost of placing
and removing a security freeze on each of your credit reports over the next 12
months. You can mail your receipts to:
Moriarty & Primack
Dept. S
One Monarch Place
Springfield, MA 01144
To place a security freeze on your credit report, you
must send a written request to each of the three major consumer
reporting agencies: Equifax (www.equifax.com);
Experian (www.experian.com); and TransUnion
(www.transunion.com) by regular, certified
or overnight mail at the addresses below:
Equifax Security Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348
Experian Security Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion Security Freeze
Fraud Victim Assistance Department
P.O. Box 6970
Fullerton, CA 92834
In order to request a security freeze, you will need
to provide the following information:
- Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.)
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where
you have lived over the prior five years.
- Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill
- A legible photocopy of a government issued identification card (state driver’s
license or ID card, military identification, etc.)
- If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police
report, investigative report, or complaint to law enforcement agency concerning
identity theft
- If you are not a victim of identity theft, include payment by check, money
order, or credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover only). Do
not send cash through the mail.
The credit reporting agencies have three (3) business days after receiving your
request to place a security freeze on your credit report. The credit bureaus
must also send written confirmation to you within five (5) business days and provide
you with a unique personal identification number (PIN) or password, or both that
can be used by you to authorize the removal or lifting of the security freeze.
To
lift the security freeze in order to allow a specific entity or individual access
to your credit report, you must call or send a written request to the credit reporting
agencies by mail and include proper identification (name, address, and social security
number) and the PIN number or password provided to you when you
placed the security freeze as well as the identities of those entities or individuals
you would like to receive your credit report or the specific period of time you want
the credit report available. The credit reporting agencies have three (3) business
days after receiving your request to lift the security freeze for those identified
entities or for the specified period of time.
To remove the security freeze, you must
send a written request to each of the three credit bureaus by mail and include proper
identification (name, address, and social security number) and the
PIN number or password provided to you when you placed the security freeze. The
credit bureaus have three (3) business days after receiving your request to remove
the security freeze.
You may find it useful to obtain a credit report from
one or all of the credit reporting agencies listed above. By law, individuals are entitled to receive one free
credit report annually. If an additional report is desired as a result of this
data breach, Smith College has offered to reimburse an individual up to a maximum
of $40.00. The credit report must be requested prior to April 30, 2010 in order
to be reimbursed. For additional information on this reimbursement, please
see the information posted at www.smith.edu/databreach.
Police Report
To request a copy of the police report related to this incident:
Springfield Police Department
130 Pearl St.
Springfield, MA 01105
413-787-6322
UPDATED NOVEMBER 2: Police reports
must be requested in writing.
Springfield Police Department
Attn: Records
PO Box 308
Springfield, MA 01104
Sincerely,
Moriarty & Primack, P.C.
October 29, 2009
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