Toll-Free: (833) BJA-TALK(833) 252-8255
Toll-Free: (833) BJA-TALKSolana Beach, CA – February 17, 2023 – Brooks Jucha & Associates Insurance Services, Inc. d/b/a BJA Partners (“BJA”) is providing notice of a recent incident that may have impacted the security of information for individuals. BJA received the information in connection with insurance consulting and brokerage services on behalf of the following organizations: AP Wireless, Bruce J. Sachs, MD, PC, First Choice Bank/Enterprise, Foster Walsh, Hermanson Guzman & Wang, Herring Law Group, P.C., La Costa Limousine, Rancho Valencia Resort Partners LLC, SimulStat Incorporated, Sullivan Mcgibbons Crickard & Assoc LLP, Temple Solel, Walsh Law Firm APC, and Young, Zinn & Bate LLP. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in BJA’s care is one of its highest priorities and BJA takes this incident very seriously. To date, BJA is not aware of any actual or attempted misuse of the impacted information.
What Happened? BJA recently discovered suspicious activity related to an employee email account. BJA immediately took steps to secure the email account and launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the activity. BJA’s investigation determined that there may have been unauthorized access to the affected email account. The investigation was unable to determine which specific documents, emails or attachments in the account were actually viewed by the unauthorized individual. As a result, BJA quickly began working with a third-party forensic investigator to perform a programmatic and manual review of the contents of the email account that were viewed to determine the types of information contained in the account and to whom the information belonged. This review was recently completed and BJA determined that the emails and attachments within the account contained certain personal information.
What Information Was Involved? The investigation determined that one or more of the following data elements may have been impacted: name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, financial account number, payment card information, digital signature, date of birth, medical information, health insurance information, username and password, driver’s license or state identification number, and financial account information. To date, BJA is not aware of any actual or attempted misuse of your information.
What Is BJA Doing? Upon learning of the incident, BJA took immediate steps to secure its email environment and investigate the activity. BJA commenced an investigation that included working with third-party forensic specialists to understand the nature and scope of the incident. As part of BJA’s ongoing commitment to the privacy of information in its care, BJA is reviewing our policies, procedures, and processes related to the storage and access of sensitive information to reduce the likelihood of a similar future incident. BJA is also providing affected individuals with credit monitoring and will be notifying state regulators, as required.
For More Information. Potentially affected individuals may have questions regarding this incident that are not addressed in this letter. If you have additional questions and believe you may be impacted by this incident, please call the dedicated assistance line at (877) 890-9284, toll-free Monday through Friday from 6 am – 8 pm Pacific, or Saturday and Sunday from 8 am – 5 pm Pacific (excluding major U.S. holidays). You may also write to BJA at 90 Highland Dr Suite 103, Solana Beach, CA 92075.
What You Can Do? While BJA is not aware of any actual or attempted misuse of information as a result of this incident, BJA nonetheless encourages potentially affected individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious activity. 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 a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their 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 an individual is a victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should an individual 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 a consumer’s name without their consent. However, individuals should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in a credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, individuals cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a security freeze, individuals will need to provide the following information:
Should individuals wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
| Equifax | Experian | TransUnion |
| https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ | https://www.experian.com/help/ | https://www.transunion.com/credit-help |
| 888-298-0045 | 1-888-397-3742 | 800-916-8800 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
Individuals may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their 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. Individuals can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Individuals have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, individuals will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and the appropriate state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.