Posted On November 6, 2022 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
On November 3, 2022, Alinsco Managing General Agency, Inc. filed notice of a data breach with the Texas Attorney General’s Office after the company discovered an unauthorized party had gained access to sensitive information in its possession. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, driver’s license numbers, government identification numbers, and financial account information. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, Alinsco Insurance began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk. The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are actively investigating the Alinsco Insurance data breach on behalf of people whose information was exposed. As a part of this investigation, we are providing free consultations to anyone affected by the breach who is interested in learning more about the risks of identity theft, what they can do to protect themselves, and what their legal options may be to obtain compensation from Alinsco Managing General Agency, Inc.
The available information regarding the Alinsco Insurance breach comes from the company’s filing with the Attorney General of Texas as well as notice posted on the Alinsco Insurance website. According to these sources, on August 24, 2022, Alinsco Insurance detected unusual activity within one of the company’s web applications. In response, the company launched an internal investigation with the assistance of a third-party data security firm in hopes of learning more about the incident, as well as what, if any, consumer information was compromised as a result.
The company’s investigation confirmed that the unauthorized party was able to access the web application, as well as the consumer information located within the application.
Upon discovering that sensitive consumer data was made available to an unauthorized party, Alinsco Insurance began to review the affected files to determine what information was compromised and which consumers were impacted. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your name, driver’s license number, government identification number, and financial account information.
On November 3, 2022, Alinsco Insurance sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
Founded in 2003, Alinsco Managing General Agency, Inc. is an insurance agency based in Fort Worth, Texas. Through thousands of independent insurance agents, Alinsco Insurance sells various car insurance products, including Alinsco Annual, Allinsco Bravo, Alinsco Enhanced, Alinsco Select and Alinsco Zoom. Alinsco is a “non-traditional” insurer, meaning the company writes policies with a higher degree of risk than traditional insurance agencies. Alinsco Insurance employs more than 63 people and generates approximately $18 million in annual revenue.
Data breaches affect hundreds of millions of people each year. In fact, the Identity Theft Resource Center reports that more than 320 million people were victimized in 2021 alone. There are many risks associated with a data breach. However, perhaps the most common is that a hacker steals your identity using the information they obtained or sells your personal information to another criminal on the dark web. While there is nothing you can do to prevent a data breach from happening, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of falling victim to identity theft and other frauds.
Below is a list of some of the things you should do after receiving a data breach letter. Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list, especially if a breach involves sensitive information such as your financial account information or Social Security number.
The first thing to do after receiving a data breach letter is to carefully review it to determine whether your information was leaked and, if so, what data was compromised. The letter will also contain important information about how an unauthorized party was able to access your information, what the company has done since then to prevent future attacks, and whether the company has received any reports of identity theft or fraud from other victims. The letter will also outline the steps to sign up for free credit monitoring if it is being provided.
Once you determine what information is at risk, the next step is to review all your online accounts for any signs of suspicious activity. While hackers usually use any stolen information as quickly as possible, they might need additional information to carry out their crimes, which can take time to acquire. Thus, signs of suspicious activity may not appear immediately and it is imperative that you continuously review all your online accounts to monitor for any signs of fraud.
Credit monitoring is a fee-based service that alerts you to any suspicious activity related to your credit account. Normally, credit monitoring costs between $20 and $40 per month. However, companies almost always offer victims of a data breach free credit monitoring—usually for a year or two. Indeed, Alinsco is offering victims of the recent breach 12 months of free credit monitoring. Signing up for credit monitoring is free and provides you with an easy way to keep an eye on your credit profile. Further, signing up for free credit monitoring doesn’t impact your rights to bring a data breach lawsuit against the company that leaked your information if the company was negligent leading up to the breach.
Fraud alerts and credit freezes are free services offered by the major credit bureaus. A fraud alert puts companies that pull your credit on notice that there is reason to believe that someone may be fraudulently using your information. A credit freeze offers additional protection by preventing any company from pulling your credit without your advance approval. The Identity Theft Resource Center has repeatedly explained that placing a credit freeze on your credit account is the single best way to prevent fraud after a data breach.
At Console & Associates, P.C., our consumer privacy lawyers monitor all security and data breaches to help affected consumers pursue their legal remedies. We offer free consultations to victims of data breaches and can explain your rights in clear, understandable terms so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed with your case. If you’ve been affected by the Alinsco Insurance data breach or any other data security incident, Console & Associates, P.C., will investigate your case at no charge and offer you thorough advice about how to most effectively proceed with your case. If you decide to bring a case, we only get paid if you do. If your claim is successful, any legal fees are either paid by the defendant or come out of the funds recovered from the defendant. If your claim doesn’t result in a recovery, you will pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
Below is a copy of the initial data breach letter issued by Alinsco Managing General Agency, Inc. (the actual notice sent to consumers can be found here):
Dear [Redacted],
Alinsco Managing General Agency, Inc. (“Alinsco”) is committed to its customers, and protecting the privacy and security of their personal information. Regrettably, we recently addressed a cybersecurity incident that involved some of that information.
On August 24, 2022, Alinsco detected unusual activity within a company web application. Immediately upon discovering the activity, Alinsco commenced a prompt and thorough investigation with the assistance of external cybersecurity professionals, and notified law enforcement. The investigation discovered that an unauthorized party accessed the web application and some company data maintained within.
After an extensive forensic investigation and manual file review, Alinsco discovered that the unauthorized party accessed certain files containing customer personal information that was maintained on the web application. To date, Alinsco has no evidence that any of the information has been misused and is not aware of any reports of identity or financial fraud as a direct result of this incident. Customer Social Security numbers were not involved in this incident.
Out of an abundance of caution, Alinsco is notifying via email all potentially involved customers whose contact information Alinsco has on file and providing resources to help individuals protect their information, including by providing customers with access to Triple Bureau Credit Monitoring services at no charge. These services provide customers with alerts for twelve (12) months from the date of enrollment when changes occur to their credit file. In addition, Alinsco is providing customers with proactive fraud assistance to help with any questions that they might have or in the event that they become a victim of fraud. These services will be provided by Experian, a company specializing in fraud assistance and remediation services. Please visit Alinsco’s website for instructions on how to enroll in services, or call Alinsco’s toll-free response line at 855-532-2109.
Involved individuals are encouraged to take steps to protect themselves against identity fraud, including placing a fraud alert/security freeze on their credit files, obtaining free credit reports, and remaining vigilant in reviewing financial account statements and credit reports for fraudulent or irregular activity on a regular basis.
The security and privacy of personal information is of the utmost importance to Alinsco. Alinsco is taking additional steps to mitigate this incident, including engaging a third party to redesign its web application and bolster the application’s existing security. Alinsco continually evaluates and modifies their practices and internal controls to enhance the security and privacy of customer personal information.
If you believe you may have been affected or have any further questions regarding this incident, please call Alinsco’s dedicated and confidential toll-free response line that they have established to respond to questions surrounding this incident at 855-532-2109. This response line is staffed with professionals familiar with this incident and knowledgeable on what customers can do to protect against misuse of their information. The response line is available Monday through Friday, from 8AM to 5:30PM Central Time, excluding holidays.
