Other LanguagesOLYMPIA – The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) today sent a letter to the Senior Vice President and Legal Counsel for CardSystems Solutions, Inc., demanding the company inform all consumers affected by its recent security breach.
The letter, proposed and authored by Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, was signed by the attorneys general of 44 states, the District of Columbia, and American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Puerto Rico.
“In this era of increasing reliance on technology, it is vitally important that those companies entrusted with nonpublic personal information employ the highest levels of security,” the letter says. “We call upon your company to do the responsible thing and notify all affected consumers immediately.”
The letter also asks that CardSystems Solutions, Inc. provide:
- The total number of consumers impacted by the breach in each state;
- An explanation of how the breach occurred and the steps the company is taking to mitigate consumer injury caused by the breach, including efforts to notify affected consumers; and
- An outline of the plan the company has developed to prevent the reoccurrence of such a security breach and the timeline for implementing the plan.
McKenna, who led a session on cybercrime and identity theft on June 23 at NAAG’s 2005 Summer Meeting in Montana, worked with staff to circulate the letter and encourage fellow AGs to participate.
“When the CardSystems Solutions security breach broke just prior to the NAAG summer meeting, I saw this as a perfect opportunity for attorneys general across the nation to come together and use their collective powers to protect consumers affected by the breach,” McKenna said. “Consumers have a right to know if their information has been compromised so they can take the appropriate steps to protect themselves.”
The letter asks the company to respond to the attorneys general by Monday, July 25.
A copy of the letter sent by the National Association of Attorneys General to Linda P. Ford of CardSystems, Inc. can be viewed here.
Tips on protecting your personal information and what to do if you become a victim of identity theft are available from the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General's Office:
· FTC's ID Theft Hotline: 1-877-ID-THEFT (877-438-4338), www.ftc.gov/idtheft
· Attorney General's Office Consumer Protection Division: 800-551-4636, or Online.
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For more information contact:
· Media Relations Director, Janelle Guthrie, at (360) 586-0725 or via e-mail at janelleg@atg.wa.gov or
· Consumer Protection PIO, Kristin Alexander, at (206) 464-6432 or via e-mail at KristinA1@atg.wa.gov.