On August 11, 2021, USA Waste-Management Resources, LLC (“Waste Management Resources”) is providing notice of an incident that may have impacted the privacy of information related to certain employees, former employees and dependents of current or former employees of Waste Management Resources or one of its affiliates.
What Happened? On January 21, 2021, we discovered suspicious activity in our network environment. We immediately launched an investigation, with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, to determine the nature and scope of the activity and contacted the FBI. Our investigation determined that an unauthorized actor entered our environment between January 21 and 23, 2021, accessed certain files, and took a limited number of files. Therefore, we conducted an extensive review process to analyze the contents of the files potentially accessed to determine what, if any, sensitive information was contained within them. On June 21, 2021, we determined that the potentially accessed files contained certain limited healthcare information of certain individuals who submitted claims to our self-insured health plan. We do not currently have evidence that the files containing personal information were actually taken by the unauthorized actor.
What Information Was Involved? We determined that the following information may have been present in the files that were potentially accessed by the unauthorized actor: individuals’ names, Social Security numbers, taxpayer identification numbers, government ID numbers, state ID numbers, driver's license numbers, dates of birth, financial/bank account numbers, debit/credit card numbers, medical history/treatment information, health insurance information, passport numbers and username/email address and password for financial electronic accounts.
What We Are Doing. We take the confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in our care seriously. Upon discovery, we immediately commenced an investigation to confirm the nature and scope of the incident. While the investigation remains ongoing, we are taking steps now to implement additional safeguards and review policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security.
What You Can Do. Please review the below Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information. We also encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your account statements, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious activity.
For More Information. Should you have questions, please contact the call center we set up to respond to this event at 1-855-537-2102 from 8:00 am to 5:30 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday, excluding major US holidays.
STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PROTECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
Monitor Your Accounts
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 your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your 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 you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you 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 your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:
- Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Addresses for the prior two to five years;
- Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
- A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and
- A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.
Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below: