CARBONDALE, Pa., Aug. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- H&K Perforating, LLC ("H&K Perforating") is notifying individuals of a data privacy event. To date, we have no evidence of actual or attempted misuse of information as a result of this incident. This notice provides details about the incident, H&K Perforating's response, and resources available to help protect information.

What Happened? On or about March 5, 2022, H&K Perforating became aware of suspicious activity on its servers. H&K Perforating immediately took steps to secure its network, and with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, deployed countermeasures to contain the event. H&K Perforating further began an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the activity. The investigation found suspicious activity occurred within H&K Perforating system between March 2 and March 5, 2022, including potential access to certain files.

Given that certain information was potentially accessed without authorization, H&K Perforating undertook a comprehensive review of the data to understand the specific information potentially impacted and to whom it related. H&K completed those efforts on June 13, 2022, and thereafter worked to provide notification not potentially impacted individuals as quickly as possible. 

What Information Was Involved? The impacted information varied by individual but may include name, address, Social Security number, driver's license, financial accounting information, medical/health information, username/email and password, and digital/electronic signature.

What We Are Doing. H&K Perforating takes this event and the obligation to safeguard the information in its care very seriously. After discovering the suspicious activity, H&K Perforating promptly took steps to confirm its system security, and engaged third-party forensic specialists to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation of the event to confirm its nature, scope, and impact. H&K Perforating also promptly notified federal law enforcement. Further, as part of its ongoing commitment to the privacy and security of personal information in its care, H&K Perforating is reviewing and enhancing existing policies and procedures relating to data protection and security. H&K Perforating instituted additional security measures to better protect against future similar events. H&K Perforating is also notifying relevant regulatory authorities, as required.

What Affected Individuals Can Do. Individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements and credit reports for unusual activity and report any suspicious activity immediately to their financial institution. Additional detail can be found below in the Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Personal Information.

For More Information. H&K Perforating understands that you may have questions that are not addressed in this notice. If you have additional questions or concerns, please call our dedicated call center at 1-800-939-4170 which is available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central Time Monday through Friday (excluding major U.S. holidays). You may also write to H&K Perforating at 5420 W Roosevelt Rd, Suite 314, Chicago, IL 60644.

STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION

Monitor Your Accounts

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.  To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228.  You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost.  An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file.  Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit.  If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years.  Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization.  The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent.  However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit.  Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report.  To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Additional Information

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and 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 and your state Attorney General.  This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-727-3400; and oag@dc.gov.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-528-8662 or 1-888-743-0023; and www.oag.state.md.us.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information.  Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violator.  You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here.  Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov/.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

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SOURCE H&K Perforating, LLC