Former or current employees may be affected by a possible NSC Technologies data breach after an online hacker posed as the company CEO and requested the W2 forms of all employees who worked during 2016. The shipyard staffing and employment agency reportedly ignored IRS and industry warnings designed to trick payroll and human resources professionals, falling victim to an email phishing scam that purports to be from company executives and requests personal information on employees. Individuals who were potentially affected by the breach may be able to seek compensation with the help of a data breach lawsuit attorney.
If you suspect that your personal information may have been compromised as a result of a potential NSC Technologies data breach, contact Attorney Group to learn more. We provide free, confidential and no-obligation consultations. We can help answer your questions, and if you have a claim we can connect you with an affiliated attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.
Online Thief Reportedly Tricks Company Payroll Department in Email Phishing Scam
On March 6, 2017, NSC Technologies (staffing agency that works primarily with marine, energy, commercial, logistics and industrial marketplaces) notified employees of a potential data breach after an online hacker posed as the company’s CEO emailed the payroll department and requested that copies of employee W2’s be sent directly to him. According to the company’s notification letter, “the payroll department forwarded PDF copies of a number of employees IRS W2 forms to the requestor, who was using a false email address that appeared to belong to NSC’s CEO.” The company further claimed that the episode was identified moments after the forms had been sent.
The incident involved employee 2016 IRS W2 forms, which include an employee’s name, address, social security number, and 2016 income and withholding information. Such information can be potentially misused in a variety of ways; however, the company claims that there was no indication of any misuse when the notification letter was sent to employees in March 2017.
Likewise, NSC Technologies has notified appropriate federal, state and local law enforcement agencies of the theft of employee data, as well as alerted both the Federal Trade Commission and the federal Internal Revenue Service of the data breach. The company has also advised major credit reporting companies Equifax, Experian and TransUnion of the incident. NSC Technologies is reportedly providing employees with one year of free Identity Force identity theft protection and credit monitoring services, at no cost to the employee.
NSC Technologies Recommendations for Employees
According to the notification letter, NSC Technologies has the following recommendations for its employees:
- Place a fraud alert on your credit file. A fraud alert informs creditors so that they contact those affected before they open any new accounts or change their existing accounts. Employees are encouraged to call any one of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). As soon as one credit bureau confirms a fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts. The initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for 90 days and can be renewed after 90 days.
- Request all three credit reports, free of charge, for review. Even if an employee does not find any suspicious activity on their initial credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that individuals check their credit reports periodically. Thieves may hold stolen information to use at different times. Checking credit reports periodically can help people spot problems and address them quickly.
- File a police report and get a copy of the police report, if you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or have reason to believe your information is being misused. It’s possible that you may need it to clear up any fraudulent debts.
- Visit the FTC’s identity theft website to get recovery steps and to file an identity theft complaint. Complaints are added to the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network, where they will be accessible to law enforcers and their investigations.
- Employees may also want to consider contacting the major credit bureaus to place a credit freeze on their credit file. A credit freeze keeps potential creditors from getting an individual’s credit report.
Employees can also visit the federal government’s identity theft website to learn more about the steps they can take to help protect themselves from identity theft, depending on the type of information exposed.
Individuals Affected by a NSC Technologies Data Breach May Be Entitled to Compensation
Data breaches can potentially lead to a number of complications for those affected, including the loss of personal, financial or health information. When financial information is hacked, victims might be required to pay fees for monitoring their credit to ensure their credit score isn’t negatively impacted from the violation. In some cases, data breach victims may need to make sure they don’t become a victim of identity theft and may also have to pay to receive a credit report to check on fraudulent charges. In the case of stolen W2’s and other tax forms, victims may have fraudulent tax returns, loans and bank accounts filed in their names.
Victims of data breaches may be entitled to receive compensation for any personal information that may have been compromised, and the responsible party may be liable for financial losses resulting from a data breach. Affected consumers should seek legal counsel from a NSC Technologies data breach lawsuit attorney to get more information about their rights and remedies.
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