Northeast Surgical Group (“NESG”) is notifying individuals whose information may have been involved in a data incident. At this time, NESG does not have any evidence to indicate that any personal information has been or will be misused as a result of this incident.
We take the security of personal information seriously and want to provide information and resources that can be used to protect personal information.
What Happened and What Information was Involved:
On January 8, 2023, NESG detected suspicious activity within its network environment. Upon discovery, NESG immediately engaged a law firm specializing in cybersecurity and data privacy to investigate further. Additionally, NESG engaged third-party forensic specialists to assist NESG in its analysis of any unauthorized activity. The investigation concluded on February 13, 2023. While the potentially impacted information varies by individual, the investigation concluded that certain personal information – including name, address, Social Security number, and, in some cases, date of birth and medical and treatment information – were accessed by an unknown party that is not authorized to handle or view such information.
Upon discovering the suspicious activity, the NESG moved as quickly as it reasonably could. Although NESG realized on January 8, 2023 that a cybersecurity incident took place, NESG was not able to determine the extent of the impacted data until the investigation concluded on February 13, 2023.
What We are Doing:
Data security is one of our highest priorities. Upon detecting this incident we moved quickly to initiate a response, which included retaining a leading forensic investigation firm who assisted in conducting an investigation along with the assistance of leading IT specialists to confirm the security of our network environment. We have also deployed additional monitoring tools and will continue to enhance the security of our systems.
Further, we value the safety of personal information and are providing impacted individuals with access to Credit Monitoring services at no charge. These services provide individuals with alerts for at least 12 months from the date of enrollment when changes occur to their credit files. This notification is sent to impacted individuals the same day that the change or update takes place with the credit bureau. In addition, we are providing impacted individuals with proactive fraud assistance to help with any questions, or in the event their identity is compromised. These services will be provided by Cyberscout, a leading data protection company.
What Impacted Individuals Can Do:
To enroll in Credit Monitoring services at no charge, please log on to https://secure.identityforce.com/benefit/northeastsurgical and follow the instructions provided. When prompted please provide the following unique code to receive services included on your notification letter. The dedicated call center can be reached at 1-833-570-2937 and is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding holidays. Please note the deadline to enroll is 90 days from the date of your letter.
We encourage impacted individuals to take full advantage of this service offering. Call center representatives have been fully versed on the incident and can answer questions or concerns you may have regarding protection of your personal information.
Enclosed is additional information regarding the resources available to impacted individuals, and the steps that they can take to further protect their personal information.
For More Information
If you have additional questions, please call 1-833-570-2937, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, excluding holidays.
Additional Information
Credit Reports: You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.
Security Freeze: You also have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. 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 need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency. You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, regular stamped mail, or by following the instructions found at the websites listed below. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse or a minor under the age of 16, 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; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. As of September 21, 2018, it is free to place, lift, or remove a security freeze. You may also place a security freeze for children under the age of 16. You may obtain a free security freeze by contacting any one or more of the following national consumer reporting agencies:
Fraud Alerts: You can place fraud alerts with the three credit bureaus by phone and online with:
- Equifax (https://assets.equifax.com/assets/personal/Fraud_Alert_Request_Form.pdf);
- TransUnion (https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts); or
- Experian (https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html).
A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit. As of September 21, 2018, initial fraud alerts last for one year. Victims of identity theft can also get an extended fraud alert for seven years. The phone numbers for all three credit bureaus are at listed above.
Monitoring: You should always remain vigilant and monitor your accounts for suspicious or unusual activity.
File Police Report: You have the right to file or obtain a police report if you experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You can generally report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement or to the Attorney General.
FTC and Attorneys General: You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your 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), 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. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 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 agencies 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 violators. 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 North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6400, and www.ncdoj.gov.
For New York residents, the Attorney General may be contacted at Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341, 1-800-771-7755, and https://ag.ny.gov/.
For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 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.
For Vermont Residents, if you do not have internet access but would like to learn more about how to place a security freeze on your credit report, contact the Vermont Attorney General’s Office at 802-656-3183 (800-649-2424 toll free in Vermont only). of personal information seriously and want to provide information and resources that can be used to protect personal information.
What Happened and What Information was Involved:
On January 8, 2023, NESG detected suspicious activity within its network environment. Upon discovery, NESG immediately engaged a law firm specializing in cybersecurity and data privacy to investigate further. Additionally, NESG engaged third-party forensic specialists to assist NESG in its analysis of any unauthorized activity. The investigation concluded on February 13, 2023. While the potentially impacted information varies by individual, the investigation concluded that certain personal information – including name, address, Social Security number, and, in some cases, date of birth and medical and treatment information – were accessed by an unknown party that is not authorized to handle or view such information.
Upon discovering the suspicious activity, the NESG moved as quickly as it reasonably could. Although NESG realized on January 8, 2023 that a cybersecurity incident took place, NESG was not able to determine the extent of the impacted data until the investigation concluded on February 13, 2023.
What We are Doing:
Data security is one of our highest priorities. Upon detecting this incident we moved quickly to initiate a response, which included retaining a leading forensic investigation firm who assisted in conducting an investigation along with the assistance of leading IT specialists to confirm the security of our network environment. We have also deployed additional monitoring tools and will continue to enhance the security of our systems.
Further, we value the safety of personal information and are providing impacted individuals with access to Credit Monitoring services at no charge. These services provide individuals with alerts for at least 12 months from the date of enrollment when changes occur to their credit files. This notification is sent to impacted individuals the same day that the change or update takes place with the credit bureau. In addition, we are providing impacted individuals with proactive fraud assistance to help with any questions, or in the event their identity is compromised. These services will be provided by IDX/Sontiq, a leading data protection company.
What Impacted Individuals Can Do:
To enroll in Credit Monitoring services at no charge, please log on to [insert] and follow the instructions provided. When prompted please provide the following unique code to receive services included on your notification letter. The dedicated call center can be reached at [insert] and is available Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time, excluding holidays. Please note the deadline to enroll is [insert].
We encourage impacted individuals to take full advantage of this service offering. Call center representatives have been fully versed on the incident and can answer questions or concerns you may have regarding protection of your personal information.
Enclosed is additional information regarding the resources available to impacted individuals, and the steps that they can take to further protect their personal information.
For More Information
If you have additional questions, please call [insert], Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific Time, excluding holidays.
Additional Information
Credit Reports: You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.
Security Freeze: You also have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. 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 need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency. You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, regular stamped mail, or by following the instructions found at the websites listed below. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse or a minor under the age of 16, 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; and (5) any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The request must also include a copy of a government-issued identification card and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. As of September 21, 2018, it is free to place, lift, or remove a security freeze. You may also place a security freeze for children under the age of 16. You may obtain a free security freeze by contacting any one or more of the following national consumer reporting agencies:
Fraud Alerts: You can place fraud alerts with the three credit bureaus by phone and online with:
- Equifax (https://assets.equifax.com/assets/personal/Fraud_Alert_Request_Form.pdf);
- TransUnion (https://www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts); or
- Experian (https://www.experian.com/fraud/center.html).
A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit. As of September 21, 2018, initial fraud alerts last for one year. Victims of identity theft can also get an extended fraud alert for seven years. The phone numbers for all three credit bureaus are at listed above.
Monitoring: You should always remain vigilant and monitor your accounts for suspicious or unusual activity.
File Police Report: You have the right to file or obtain a police report if you experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You can generally report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement or to the Attorney General.
FTC and Attorneys General: You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your 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), 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. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 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 agencies 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 violators. 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 North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6400, and www.ncdoj.gov.
For New York residents, the Attorney General may be contacted at Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341, 1-800-771-7755, and https://ag.ny.gov/.
For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 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.
For Vermont Residents, if you do not have internet access but would like to learn more about how to place a security freeze on your credit report, contact the Vermont Attorney General’s Office at 802-656-3183 (800-649-2424 toll free in Vermont only).