Manquen Vance Provides Notice Of Data Privacy Incident

TROY, Mich., April 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornerstone Municipal Advisory Group d/b/a Manquen Vance ("Manquen Vance") is providing notice of a recent incident that may impact the privacy of personal and/or health information. Manquen Vance began sending letters to potentially affected individuals on April 2, 2021. Manquen Vance is a group health plan broker and consultant, specializing in municipal clients in Michigan. Manquen Vance takes the confidentiality, privacy, and security of participant information very seriously.  Please know that to date, Manquen Vance has not received any reports of actual or attempted misuse of your information.

What Happened?  On November 16, 2020, Manquen Vance discovered suspicious activity relating to an employee's email account. Manquen Vance immediately changed the account credentials and began an investigation to determine the full nature and scope of the incident. The investigation determined that unauthorized access to the email account occurred between November 1, 2020 and November 16, 2020; however, the forensic investigation did not identify access to specific emails and/or attachments.

As a precaution, Manquen Vance began an extensive review of the email account to determine whether they contained any sensitive information and to whom the information relates. The analysis of the contents of the email account was time consuming and on February 2, 2021, Manquen Vance identified potentially impacted individuals whose information was found in the emails account.

What Information Was Involved? The analysis of the email account determined that members names, Social Security Numbers and health insurance information may be contained in emails or attachments. To date, Manquen Vance has no indication that any information has been subject to actual or attempted misuse in relation to this incident.    

What We are Doing. The security of personal information within our care is important to Manquen Vance. Upon discovery of this incident, we immediately took steps to secure the email account and launched an in-depth investigation to determine the full nature and scope of this incident. Manquen Vance also alerted law enforcement of the incident. As part of Manquen Vance's ongoing commitment to the privacy of personal information in its care, Manquen Vance is reviewing its existing policies and procedures and implementing additional safeguards to further secure the information in our systems. Manquen Vance is also notifying applicable regulatory authorities, as required by law.

For More Information.  You may have questions about this incident.  If you have any additional questions and are impacted by this incident, please contact 855-654-0872 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

What You Can Do. Manquen Vance encourages you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your Explanation of Benefits and account statements, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious activity.  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:

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

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 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 agencies 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.

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SOURCE Cornerstone Municipal Advisory Group dba Manquen Vance