WASHINGTON
IBW Financial Corporation is providing notice of an incident that may affect the security of certain individuals' information, including some customers. IBW Financial Corporation is a bank headquartered in Washington, D.C. that provides financial services to individuals and businesses in the tri-state area. Information about IBW Financial Corporation and its locations can be found at https://www.industrial-bank.com. While there is no evidence of any fraudulent misuse of any customer information in connection with this incident, in an abundance of caution IBW Financial Corporation is providing an overview of the incident and resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they wish to do so.
What Happened? On September 30, 2021, IBW Financial Corporation became aware that an employee's computer was subject to unauthorized access. IBW Financial Corporation immediately launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party computer specialists to determine the nature and scope of the event. The investigation determined that the employee's computer was subject to unauthorized access on September 30, 2021, for a period of several minutes. During this time period, the unauthorized actor opened certain files stored on the affected computer, although the investigation was unable to determine the extent of information within each file that may have been viewed, or if any individuals' specific information was actually viewed. Upon this discovery, IBW Financial Corporation began a detailed review of the accessed files to determine what information was contained therein. On October 19, 2022, this review was completed and IBW Financial Corporation determined that the files contained information relating to certain individuals.
What Information Was Involved? Although IBW Financial Corporation has no evidence that any individuals' specific information was actually accessed or viewed without permission, they are providing this notification in an abundance of caution. The investigation determined the following types of information may have been affected by this incident: name, Social Security number, driver's license number, financial account information, passport number, health insurance information and medical information.
How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? IBW Financial Corporation is mailing notice letters to the individuals identified as impacted for whom they have a valid mailing address. If an individual did not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call IBW Financial Corporation's dedicated assistance line, detailed below.
What is IBW Financial Corporation Doing? Immediately after learning of the incident, IBW Financial Corporation launched an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensic investigators to determine the full nature and scope of the unauthorized activity, and worked to increase the security of their systems. As part of IBW Financial Corporation's ongoing commitment to the privacy of information in their care, policies and procedures are being reviewed and enhanced where possible, additional safeguards have been implemented, and additional workforce training is being conducted to reduce the likelihood of a similar event in the future.
What You Can Do. Although there is no evidence of any fraudulent misuse of information resulting from this incident, IBW Financial Corporation encourages its customers to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors over the next 12 to 24 months. Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.
You have the right to place a "security freeze" on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security 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 security 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 security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below.
To request a credit freeze, you may need to provide the following information, depending on whether you make the request online, by phone, or by mail:
- Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Addresses for the prior two to 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, etc.);
- Social Security card, pay stub, or W2;
- 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.
As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-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 agencies listed below:
Equifax, P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA, 30348, 1-800-685-1111, www.equifax.com; Experian, P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013, 888-397-3742, www.experian.com; TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016, 800-680-7289, www.transunion.com. Potentially impacted individuals may also find information regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes and the steps they may take to protect their information by contacting the credit bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission or their 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); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement or the individual's state Attorney General.
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; 1-410-576-6300 or 1-888-743-0023; and www.oag.state.md.us. IBW Financial Corporation is located at 4812 Georgia Avenue NW, Washington DC 20011.
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.
For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; www.riag.ri.gov; and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident.
IBW Financial Corporation understands that you may have questions about this incident that are not addressed in this notice. If you have questions or need assistance, please call 877-642-8901 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm EST.
Media Contact: Rebecca Jones, (267) 930-4839
/PRNewswire -- Nov. 22, 2022/
SOURCE IBW Financial Corporation d/b/a Industrial Bank
