Conte Wealth Advisors Notifies Individuals of Data Security Incident

Conte Wealth Advisors (“Conte”) is committed to maintaining the privacy and security of personal information. Conte recently experienced a data security incident involving unauthorized access to its network that resulted in the potential exposure of the personal information within it.

On or around October 23, 2023, Conte learned that an unauthorized individual obtained access to an employee email account that resulted in the potential exposure of a limited amount of personal information. Upon learning of this issue, Conte immediately commenced a prompt and thorough investigation. As part of its investigation, Conte has been working very closely with external cybersecurity professionals experienced in handling these types of incidents. After an extensive forensic investigation, Conte determined on March 22, 2024 that certain emails containing personal information may have been accessed by the unauthorized party.

The impacted data contained the personal information of certain individuals, including full names in combination with one or more of the following: Social Security number, Drivers’ license number or government ID number, financial account information, routing number, and credit/debit card number.

Conte has no evidence that any information has been misused as a direct result of this incident. Nevertheless, out of an abundance of caution, Conte is notifying affected individuals of the scope of the incident. Conte encourages all individuals to take actions to help protect their personal information. These actions include placing a fraud alert and/or security freeze on their credit files, and/or obtaining a free credit report. Additionally, individuals should always remain vigilant in reviewing their financial account statements, explanation of benefits statements, and credit reports for fraudulent or irregular activity on a regular basis and report any suspicious activity to the proper authorities.

Conte remains fully committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information in its possession and has taken many precautions to safeguard it, including continually evaluating and modifying its practices and internal controls.

Individuals who think they may have been impacted and did not receive a notification letter, or have any further questions regarding this incident can call a dedicated and confidential toll-free response line set up to respond to questions at 888-841-3356. For further questions about this incident you may contact the dedicated response line at 888-841-3356, available Monday through Friday from 9:00am – 9:00pm EST, excluding holidays.

– OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION –

1.         Placing a Fraud Alert.

We recommend that you place a one-year “Fraud Alert” on your credit files, at no charge.  A fraud alert tells creditors to contact you personally before they open any new accounts.  To place a fraud alert, call any one of the three major credit bureaus at the numbers listed below.  As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, they will notify the others. 

Equifax
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-fraud-alerts/
(888) 378-4329

Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
(888) 397-3742

TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistance Department
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts
(800) 680-7289

2.         Consider Placing a Security Freeze on Your Credit File.

If you are very concerned about becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, you may request a “Security Freeze” be placed on your credit file at no cost.  A security freeze prohibits, with certain specific exceptions, the consumer reporting agencies from releasing your credit report or any information from it without your express authorization. You may place a security freeze on your credit report by sending a request in writing, by mail, to all three nationwide credit reporting companies.  To find out more on how to place a security freeze, you can use the following contact information:

Equifax Security Freeze
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/credit-freeze/
(888) 298-0045

Experian Security Freeze
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
(888) 397-3742

TransUnion Security Freeze
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094
www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
(888) 916-8800

In order to place the security freeze, you will need to supply your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and other personal information such as copy of a government issued identification.  After receiving your freeze request, each credit reporting company will send you a confirmation letter containing a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password.  Keep the PIN or password in a safe place. You will need it if you choose to lift the freeze. If you do place a security freeze prior to enrolling in a credit monitoring service, you will need to remove the freeze in order to sign up for the credit monitoring service. After you sign up for the credit monitoring service, you may refreeze your credit file.

3.         Obtaining a Free Credit Report.

Under federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the above three major nationwide credit reporting companies. Call 1-877-322-8228 or request your free credit reports online at www.annualcreditreport.com.  Once you receive your credit reports, review them for discrepancies. Identify any accounts you did not open or inquiries from creditors that you did not authorize.  Verify all information is correct.  If you have questions or notice incorrect information, contact the credit reporting company.

4.         Protecting Your Medical Information.

If this notice letter indicates that your medical information was impacted, we have no information to date indicating that your medical information involved in this incident was or will be used for any unintended purposes. As a general matter, however, the following practices can help to protect you from medical identity theft.

  • Only share your health insurance cards with your health care providers and other family members who are covered under your insurance plan or who help you with your medical care.
  • Review your “explanation of benefits statement” which you receive from your health insurance company. Follow up with your insurance company or care provider for any items you do not recognize. If necessary, contact the care provider on the explanation of benefits statement and ask for copies of medical records from the date of the potential access (noted above) to current date.
  • Ask your insurance company for a current year-to-date report of all services paid for you as a beneficiary. Follow up with your insurance company or the care provider for any items you do not recognize.

5.         Additional Helpful Resources.

Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that you check your credit reports periodically.  Checking your credit report periodically can help you spot problems and address them quickly. If you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or have reason to believe your information is being misused, call your local law enforcement agency and file a police report.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the police report, as many creditors will want the information it contains to absolve you of the fraudulent debts.  You may also file a complaint with the FTC by contacting them on the web at www.ftc.gov/idtheft, by phone at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338), or by mail at Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.  Your complaint will be added to the FTC’s Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, where it will be accessible to law enforcement for their investigations.  In addition, you may obtain information from the FTC about fraud alerts and security freezes.

Maryland Residents: You may obtain information about avoiding identity theft from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office: Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, Consumer Protection Division, 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202, https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/, Telephone: 888-743-0023.

North Carolina Residents: You may obtain information about preventing identity theft from the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office: Office of the Attorney General of North Carolina, Consumer Protection Division, 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, www.ncdoj.gov/, Telephone: 877-566-7226 (Toll-free within North Carolina), 919-716-6000.