Notice of a Data Incident

Forbes Agency, Inc, (“Forbes Insurance”) has learned of a data incident that may have involved certain individuals’ personal information. In May 2022, Forbes Insurance discovered that an unauthorized third party accessed one Forbes Insurance email account. Upon discovering the incident, Forbes promptly secured the email account and began an internal investigation. Forbes also engaged a forensic security firm to investigate and confirm the security of its email and computer systems. This investigation determined that the third party had access to the email account beginning on April 25, 2022 and accessed certain emails and attachments in the account. Forbes engaged a vendor to review the accessed emails and attachments, and on October 13, 2022, Forbes determined that the documents contained personal information. The information varied by individual, but could have included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, health insurance numbers, medical treatment information, and/or financial account numbers.

On January 24, 2023, Forbes Insurance sent written notification to the individuals whose personal information was contained in the data and for whom it has contact information. Individuals should refer to the notice they will receive in the mail regarding steps they can take to protect themselves.  As described in those letters, Forbes Insurance has arranged for complimentary identity theft protection services for those individuals whose Social Security numbers, tax ID numbers, or driver’s license numbers were involved in the incident. 

As a precautionary measure, Forbes Insurance recommends that involved individuals remain vigilant to protect against potential fraud and/or identity theft by, among other things, reviewing their account statements, monitoring their credit reports closely, and notifying their financial institutions if unusual activity is detected. They should also promptly report any fraudulent activity or suspected identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, including the police and their state’s attorney general. Affected individuals may also wish to review the tips provided by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) on fraud alerts, security/credit freezes and steps that they can take to avoid identity theft. For more information and to contact the FTC, please visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft or call 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338). Affected individuals may also contact the FTC at: Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Maryland residents can contact the Office of the Attorney General to obtain information about steps you can take to avoid identity theft from the Maryland Attorney General’s office at: Office of the Attorney General, 200 St. Paul Place, Baltimore, MD 21202, (888) 743-0023, http://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/.

Contact information for the three national credit reporting agencies is as follows:

Forbes Insurance takes the security of individuals’ personal information very seriously and apologizes for any inconvenience or concern this incident might cause. Additional information is available via a confidential, toll-free inquiry line at (866) 982-2299 from 9:00 am - 7:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday.