Cornick, Garber & Sandler Data Breach Impacts 1,570: SSNs Exposed

Cornick, Garber & Sandler, LLP, a New York-based certified public accounting firm, disclosed a data breach that affected approximately 1,570 individuals in the United States, including three Maine residents.

The breach impacted both personally identifiable information and protected health information as dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license or state identification numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, health insurance information and account numbers.

The firm posted a notice on its website with details about the incident, as well as filed a disclosure with the Maine Attorney General.

Cornick, Garber & Sandler's response to the breach

The firm established a dedicated and confidential toll-free response line. The line is available Monday through Friday, Eastern Time, excluding holidays, and can be reached at 844-403-4528.

The company's notice also references a credit monitoring service available to affected individuals.

The written notice included detailed instructions for placing security freezes with the three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

Steps to take if your information was exposed

• Place a security freeze on credit reports by contacting Equifax (888-298-0045), Experian (888-397-3742) and TransUnion (888-909-8872) to help prevent new accounts from being opened without authorization.
• Request free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and review them carefully for any unfamiliar accounts, inquiries or other changes.
• Monitor health insurance statements for claims or services not received, since health insurance information and account numbers were among the data exposed in this breach.
• Consider requesting an Identity Protection PIN from the IRS to help guard against fraudulent tax filings, as Social Security numbers and taxpayer identification numbers were compromised.
• Be cautious of phishing attempts that reference Cornick, Garber & Sandler, Voxx International Corp. or this breach by name, as scammers sometimes use breach notifications to trick people into sharing additional personal information.
• Report suspected identity theft to the FTC at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or by calling 877-438-4338 to add the complaint to the agency's Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse.