Notice of Security Event

Portageville School District Notice of Security Event 

April 19, 2022 – Portageville School District (“the District”) is announcing a recent event that may impact the security of certain information. Although the District is unaware of any misuse of this information, it is providing information about the event, steps taken since identifying the event, and what an impacted individual can do to better protect against potential misuse of personal information as a result of this event, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.

What Happened?

On August 12, 2021, the District became aware of suspicious activity in its computer network. We immediately launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the event. We quickly worked to secure its systems, restore access to the information so it could continue to operate without disruption, and determine the nature and scope of the event. We also promptly notified federal law enforcement. Through its investigation, we determined that an unknown actor gained access to certain systems on August 12, 2021, and downloaded certain information from those systems.

We then worked with third-party data specialists to perform a comprehensive review of the files stored on the impacted systems to determine what information was impacted, if any, and to whom the information related. Upon completion of the review, we conducted a manual review of its records to determine the identities and contact information for potentially affected individuals. We recently confirmed address information for affected individuals to provide notifications. 

What information was Affected?

The following types of information may have been impacted for current and former students as a result of the event: Social Security number, driver’s license number, financial account information, and limited medical information.

What We are Doing.

The District is notifying potentially affected individuals by this posting and by issuing notice via written letter to individuals for whom we had mailing addresses. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in our care is among our highest priorities, and we take this event very seriously. We reviewed our security policies and procedures and implemented additional safeguards to reduce the risk of similar future events. 

What Affected Individuals Can Do.

As a precautionary measure, we encourage potentially affected individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements and credit reports benefits for unusual activity and to detect errors. You may also review the additional information below on the steps you can take to protect personal information. 

For More Information.

For individuals seeking additional information regarding the event, you may call the District’s dedicated assistance line at 844-818-0290, Monday through Friday (excluding U.S. holidays), during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Central Time. You may also write to Portageville SD at 904 King Ave, Portageville, MO 63873.

Steps You Can Take to 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:

Equifax --- https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/

Experian --- https://www.experian.com/help/

TransUnion --- https://www.transunion.com/credit-help

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Equifax --- 888-298-0045

Experian --- 1-888-397-3742

TransUnion --- 833-395-6938

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Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069

Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016

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Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788

Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

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 [email protected].

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. 

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 event. 

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