Connected Credit Union Data Breach Exposes Sensitive PII Including SSNs

Connected Credit Union, a federally insured credit union based in Maine recently disclosed a data breach involving sensitive member information. The credit union provides a range of financial services, including savings and checking accounts, loans, credit cards, mobile banking.

At this time, the details of the breach such as the timeline remain publicly undisclosed.

The types of information exposed in the breach included Social Security numbers and financial account codes, according to the regulatory disclosure filed with the Vermont Attorney General.

The total number of individuals affected was not included in the publicly available filing.

Connected Credit Union's response to the breach

Members who have questions about the breach or concerns about their accounts can contact Connected Credit Union directly to learn more about the credit union's response and any protective measures being offered. The credit union can be reached by phone at 1-800-464-3773 or by email at ccu@connectedcreditunion.org.

Members may also visit one of the credit union's two branch locations for in-person assistance. The Augusta branch is located at 85 Civic Center Drive (207-441-8589), and the Winslow branch is at 12 Monument St. (207-872-2636).

Steps to take if your information was exposed

• Place a credit freeze with Equifax (1-800-525-6285), Experian (1-888-397-3742) and TransUnion (1-800-680-7289) to prevent new accounts from being opened using stolen personal information.
• Set up a fraud alert with one of the three major credit bureaus, which will automatically notify the other two on the affected individual's behalf.
• Review credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com to check for any unfamiliar accounts, hard inquiries or other suspicious activity.
• Monitor all financial accounts closely for unauthorized transactions, including checking and savings accounts, loans and credit cards, and report any suspicious activity to the credit union immediately.
• Consider requesting an IRS Identity Protection PIN to prevent someone from filing a fraudulent federal tax return using a stolen Social Security number.
• Be cautious of phishing attempts that reference Connected Credit Union or this data breach by name, as scammers often use breach notifications to trick people into revealing additional personal information.