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Notify individuals. If you quickly notify people
that their personal information has been compromised, they can take
steps to reduce the chance that their information will be misused. In
deciding who to notify, and how, consider:
- the nature of the compromise
- the type of information taken
- the likelihood of misuse
- the potential damage if the information is misused
For example, thieves who have stolen names and Social Security
numbers can use that information not only to sign up for new accounts in
the victim’s name, but also to commit tax identity theft. People who
are notified early can take steps to limit the damage.
When notifying individuals, the FTC recommends you:
- Consult with your law enforcement contact about the timing of the notification so it doesn’t impede the investigation.
- Designate a point person within your organization for releasing information. Give the contact person the latest information about the breach, your response, and how individuals should respond.
- Consider using letters (see sample below), websites, and toll-free numbers
to communicate with people whose information may have been compromised.
If you don’t have contact information for all of the affected
individuals, you can build an extensive public relations campaign into
your communications plan, including press releases or other news media
notification.
- Consider offering at least a year of free credit monitoring or other support
such as identity theft protection or identity restoration services,
particularly if financial information or Social Security numbers were
exposed. When such information is exposed, thieves may use it to open
new accounts.
State breach notification laws typically tell you what
information you must, or must not, provide in your breach notice. In
general, unless your state law says otherwise, you’ll want to:
- Clearly describe what you know about the compromise. Include:
- how it happened
- what information was taken
- how the thieves have used the information (if you know)
- what actions you have taken to remedy the situation
- what actions you are taking to protect individuals, such as offering free credit monitoring services
- how to reach the relevant contacts in your organization
Consult with your law enforcement contact about what information to include so your notice doesn’t hamper the investigation.
Tell people what steps they can take, given the type of information exposed, and provide relevant contact information.
For example, people whose Social Security numbers have been stolen
should contact the credit bureaus to ask that fraud alerts or credit
freezes be placed on their credit reports. See IdentityTheft.gov/databreach
for information on appropriate follow-up steps after a compromise,
depending on the type of personal information that was exposed. Consider
adding this information as an attachment to your breach notification
letter, as we’ve done in the model letter below.
Include current information about how to recover from identity theft. For a list of recovery steps, refer consumers to IdentityTheft.gov.
Consider providing information about the law enforcement
agency working on the case, if the law enforcement agency agrees that
would help. Identity theft victims often can provide important information to law enforcement.
Encourage people who discover that their information has been misused to report it to the FTC, using IdentityTheft.gov. IdentityTheft.gov
will create an individualized recovery plan, based on the type of
information exposed. And, each report is entered into the Consumer
Sentinel Network, a secure, online database available to civil and
criminal law enforcement agencies.
Describe how you’ll contact consumers in the future.
For example, if you’ll only contact consumers by mail, then say so. If
you won’t ever call them about the breach, then let them know. This
information may help victims avoid phishing scams tied to the breach,
while also helping to protect your company’s reputation. Some
organizations tell consumers that updates will be posted on their
website. This gives consumers a place they can go at any time to see the
latest information.
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