Frontwave Credit Union Data Breach; Social Security Numbers Exposed

Frontwave Credit Union, a member-owned credit union headquartered in Oceanside, California, disclosed a data breach that involved one of its service providers.

On April 3, 2026, Frontwave Credit Union received notification from one of its service providers about an inadvertent disclosure of non-public member information. The service provider accidentally shared member data with another credit union.

The name of the service provider involved has not been disclosed in the notification. The company described the event as an isolated incident.

The types of information exposed included names and Social Security numbers.

The credit union disclosed the breach to the California Attorney General on April 28, 2026. The total number of individuals affected has not been publicly disclosed.

Frontwave Credit Union's response to the breach

Frontwave is offering affected members 12 months of complimentary identity protection through Experian IdentityWorks.

The membership includes the following features: an Experian credit report at signup, daily credit monitoring for online members, the ability to place a security freeze on an Experian credit file, access to identity restoration specialists and $1 million in identity theft insurance.

Affected individuals can enroll by visiting the Experian IdentityWorks enrollment page and entering the activation code included in their notification letter. Enrollment must be completed by Aug. 30, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. UTC.

Identity restoration support is available immediately and does not require enrollment in the monitoring product.

For questions about the Experian services or to request help with identity restoration, affected members can call Experian's customer care team at 833-931-7577. The line is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time, excluding major U.S. holidays.

For general questions about the breach, members can contact Frontwave Credit Union directly at 800-736-4500 or 760-631-8700. Member support is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific Time.

Steps to take if your information was exposed

• Place a credit freeze with all three credit bureaus. Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to prevent anyone from opening new accounts using your Social Security number.
• Set up a fraud alert on your credit file. Contact any one of the three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert, which will require lenders to take extra steps to verify your identity before extending credit.
• Review your credit reports regularly. Request free copies of your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and look carefully for any accounts or inquiries you do not recognize.
• Monitor your financial accounts closely. Review bank statements, credit card statements and credit union account activity over the next 12 to 24 months for any suspicious or unauthorized transactions.
• Report suspected identity theft to the FTC. If you notice signs that someone is using your information, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at IdentityTheft.gov or by calling 1-877-438-4338.
• Be cautious of phishing attempts. Watch for emails, phone calls or text messages that reference Frontwave Credit Union as scammers sometimes use real breach notifications to trick people into sharing additional personal information.