Recently, Hartmann Financial Advisors confirmed that the company experienced a data breach after an unauthorized party gained access to the company’s computer network and the sensitive consumer data contained on the network. According to the Hartmann Financial Advisors, the breach resulted in the full names, addresses, Social Security numbers, account numbers, and driver's license information being compromised. On May 12, 2022, Hartmann Financial Advisors filed official notice of the breach and sent out data breach letters to all affected parties.
If you received a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. To learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft and what your legal options are in the wake of the Hartmann Financial Advisors data breach, please see our recent piece on the topic here.
What We Know About the Hartmann Financial Advisors Data Breach
According to an official notice filed by the company, Hartmann Financial first detected a data security incident on September 29, 2022, when the company noticed that an unauthorized party had gained access to its computer network. Hartmann Financial was able to interrupt the attack and then shut down its network to prevent further access.
In the wake of the incident, the company then retained the services of cyber specialists to investigate the incident. While Hartmann Financial’s investigation is still ongoing, the company reports that the files accessible to the unauthorized party contained sensitive consumer data.
Next, Hartmann Financial Advisors reviewed the affected files to determine exactly what information was compromised. While the breached information varies depending on the individual, it may include your full name, address, Social Security number, account numbers, and driver's license information.
On May 12, 2022, Hartmann Financial Advisors sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
More Information About Hartmann Financial Advisors
Hartmann Financial Advisors is an independent financial services company based in Centennial, Colorado. The company provides retirement planning, estate planning, investment planning and tax planning services. Hartmann Financial also sells a range of insurance products, including home, auto, life, disability and travel insurance. Hartmann Financial Advisors employs approximately 25 people and generates less than $5 million in annual revenue.
Should You Be Concerned if You Receive a Hartmann Financial Data Breach Letter?
Data breaches are becoming more common as cybercriminals develop increasingly sophisticated tools and tactics to carry out these attacks. These incidents are very serious as data breaches such as the Hartmann Financial breach potentially put consumers’ personal information in the hands of cybercriminals. What a hacker or other bad actor does with this information depends on the type of the data and the goals of the party or organization orchestrating the attack. However, the most common harm data breach victims face is identity theft and other types of fraud, which can take months—and thousands of dollars—to resolve. In fact, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center, victims of identity theft spend 200 hours and over $1,300 recovering their identity.
Given the risks that come along with a data breach, it is essential for those who receive a Hartmann Financial data breach letter to take the necessary steps to protect themselves. Additionally, data breach victims may be able to pursue a data breach class action lawsuit against a company if evidence emerges that a company was negligent leading up to the attack. Those with questions about what to do after a data breach or what their legal options are should reach out to a data breach lawyer for assistance.
