Posted On February 25, 2023 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
February 25, 2023 – Cleveland Brothers Holdings, Inc. (“CBH”) filed a notice of a data breach with the Maine Attorney General on February 17, 2023 after discovering suspicious activity on the company’s computer system. According to the filing, sensitive consumer information was accessed, including names and Social Security numbers. After confirming the leak, CBH sent data breach notification letters to all 8,611affected individuals.
If you received a notification letter from Cleveland Brothers, we at Console & Associates, P.C., advise that you contact our data breach lawyers to better prepare yourself for what’s to come. We are offering free consultations to better help you figure out your next steps, learn what you can do to protect yourself, and see if you can pursue a data breach lawsuit against CBH for financial compensation.
Cleveland Brothers Holdings, Inc. is certified to sell CAT equipment, as well as selling and renting other brands of heavy equipment. Established in 1948 with locations throughout West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, CBH employs over 1,282 people and generates approximately $245 million in revenue annually.
According to CBH’s filing with the Attorney General of Maine’s office, the company discovered that there had been unusual activity regarding company consumer information on November 5, 2022. The company immediately secured its network and began working with a third-party cybersecurity firm to investigate the breach.
The investigation was concluded on January 11, 2023. After reviewing the files and confirming the leak, CBH discovered that sensitive information had been compromised, including consumers’ names and Social Security numbers.
On February 17, 2023, Cleveland Brothers Holdings sent data breach notification letters to all individuals affected by the data breach.
Once confidential information is in the hands of a hacker, they don’t wait long before using the information or selling it on the dark web. As a victim of the breach, you have to move fast to do what you can to mitigate the damages caused by the leak of your information because hackers usually have a head start.
Below is a list of precautionary steps that you can take right now. This list is not comprehensive, and if your financial information is exposed in the data breach, you may wish to take additional steps.
Companies that have been breached must report the incident to all victims of the breach and the states where those victims live. Carefully read over the information provided by CBH. Data breach letters often contain pertinent information about the breach, such as how the hackers gained access to the computer network, what steps the company is taking to ensure patient security in the future, and if any victims of the breach have reported fraud or identity theft.
Cleveland Brothers Holdings is offering all victims of the breach free credit monitoring. Credit monitoring services typically cost anywhere from $20-$40 a month, so you should take advantage of the offer for this service free of charge. Taking CBH up on its offer for free credit monitoring does not disqualify you from pursuing a data breach lawsuit against the company.
Even if your financial information was not compromised, you should take the time to secure all of your online accounts. Change the passwords to all of your accounts. Sometimes a hacker doesn’t have all the information they need to commit fraud or identity theft, so they look for your information in other accounts. If two-fact authorization is available, use it.
It is always a good idea to monitor your accounts closely. Monitor your financial accounts and credit profile for any suspicious activity and report it immediately if detected.
Credit freezes and fraud alerts are free services offered by major credit bureaus. A credit freeze prevents anyone from checking your credit without your authorization. A fraud alert is like a red flag to other companies. It will inform any company checking your credit that your information has been compromised, and you may be the victim of identity theft or fraud.
The consumer privacy lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. help customers affected by data and security breaches pursue legal solutions by offering free consultations. By explaining your rights in clear, concise terms, we help you make an informed decision about your next steps. If you are a victim of the Cleveland Brothers Holdings, Inc. data breach, Console & Associates, P.C. will investigate at no charge to you and offer advice on how to proceed. If you decide to pursue a case, rest assured that we don’t get paid unless you do. If your claim is successful, legal fees are either paid out of the funds recovered or by the defendant. If your claim is not successful, you pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
Below is a portion of the letter sent to affected individuals:
Dear [Redacted],
Cleveland Brothers Holdings, Inc. writes to notify you of a recent incident that may impact the privacy of certain information provided to us. We take this incident very seriously and are providing you information about the incident, our response, and steps you can take to protect your information.
What Happened? On November 5, 2022, we discovered unusual activity on our network. We immediately began an investigation, which included working with third-party specialists to determine the nature and scope of the activity. Our investigation determined an unknown party accessed parts of our network between November 3, 2022 and November 5, 2022. Therefore, we conducted a review of our network to determine the type of information contained therein and to whom the information related.
What Information Was Involved? On January 31, 2023, after a thorough review, we determined the type of information included your name and the following: [Redacted].
What We Are Doing. In response to this incident, we conducted an investigation, changed account passwords, and are reviewing our policies and procedures related to data protection. Additionally, we are providing you access to 24 months of credit monitoring and identity protection services at no cost to you.
What You Can Do. We encourage you to enroll in the credit monitoring and identity protection services we are making available to you. Instructions about how to enroll in these services and additional resources available to you are included in the enclosed Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Information.
For More Information: We understand you may have questions about this incident. You may contact us at (724) 325-9451 Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM ET (excluding major U.S. holidays) or write to us at 4565 William Penn Highway, Murrysville, PA 15668.
We sincerely regret any concern this incident may cause you. The privacy and security of information is important to us, and we will continue to take steps to protect information in our care.
