Posted On August 31, 2022 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
August 31, 2022 – Ellington Financial Inc. reported a data breach after the company was targeted in a recent cybersecurity attack. As a result of the breach, the names, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, electronic signature, credit card numbers, dates of birth, bank or financial account numbers, and other information provided in connection with a mortgage loan of certain individuals was compromised. On August 29, 2022, Ellington Financial sent out data breach letters to those individuals whose information was affected by the breach.
The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are going to begin interviewing victims of the breach to determine what damages they sustained and what legal claims may be available to them. If you recently received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH from Ellington Financial Inc., contact us at (866) 778-5500 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential contact form for a free case evaluation.
Below is a portion of the letter that Ellington Financial sent to individuals affected by the data breach:
Dear [Redacted],
Ellington Management Group, LLC (“Ellington,” “our,” or “we”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the information we maintain. We are writing to notify you of a data security incident that may have involved some of your information. This notice explains the incident, and the resources that we are making available to you.
What Happened? On or about February 24, 2022, we became aware of the unauthorized access of two Ellington user email mailboxes. These users may have had access to your personal information in connection with the sale or potential sale of your mortgage loan. We engaged outside experts to perform an investigation of the circumstances of the unauthorized access along with an assessment of the impact on the data, which concluded on July 15, 2022. We have no evidence of fraud or misuse of your personal information or even that it was viewed. Nonetheless, our investigation and assessment could not rule out the possibility of misuse of personal information.
What Information Was Involved? Personal information that may have been available included names, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, electronic signature, credit card numbers, dates of birth, bank or financial account numbers, and other information you may have provided in connection with your mortgage loan.
What We Are Doing. Upon identifying the potential issue, we immediately assessed, identified, and remediated the unauthorized system access. We have since worked with a leading cybersecurity firm to assess our controls, confirm that they align with industry standards and close any other potential unauthorized access points.
To help protect your identity, we are offering complimentary access to Experian IdentityWorksSM for 12 months.
If you believe there was fraudulent use of your information as a result of this incident and would like to discuss how you may be able to resolve those issues, please reach out to an Experian agent. If, after discussing your situation with an agent, it is determined that identity restoration support is needed, then an Experian Identity Restoration agent is available to work with you to investigate and resolve each incident of fraud that occurred from the date of the incident (including, as appropriate, helping you with contacting credit grantors to dispute charges and close accounts; assisting you in placing a freeze on your credit file with the three major credit bureaus; and assisting you with contacting government agencies to help restore your identity to its proper condition).
Please note that Identity Restoration is available to you for 12 months from the date of this letter and does not require any action on your part at this time. The Terms and Conditions for this offer are located at [Redacted].
While identity restoration assistance is immediately available to you, we also encourage you to activate the fraud detection tools available through Experian IdentityWorks as a complimentary 12 month membership. This product provides you with superior identity detection and resolution of identity theft. To start monitoring your personal information, please follow the steps below:
Ensure that you enroll by November 30, 2022 (Your code will not work after this date.)
Visit the Experian IdentityWorks website to enroll: [Redacted]
Provide your activation code: [Redacted]
If you have questions about the product, need assistance with Identity Restoration that arose as a result of this incident, or would like an alternative to enrolling in Experian IdentityWorks online, please contact Experian’s customer care team at (888) 397-0073 toll-free Monday through Friday from 8 am – 10 pm Central, or Saturday and Sunday from 10 am – 7 pm Central (excluding major U.S. holidays) by November 30, 2022. Be prepared to provide engagement number [Redacted] as proof of eligibility for the Identity Restoration services by Experian.
What You Can Do. We recommend that you remain vigilant to the possibility of fraud by reviewing your financial account statements for any suspicious activity. If you identify any suspicious activity, you should immediately report it to your financial institution. You may also review some additional steps you can take to protect your information in the pages that follow this letter.
For More Information. We regret any inconvenience or concern this may cause. If you have any questions, please call (888) 397-0073, toll-free Monday through Friday from 8 am – 10 pm Central, or Saturday and Sunday from 10 am – 7 pm Central (excluding major U.S. holidays). Be prepared to provide your engagement number [Redacted].
