Turke & Strauss LLP, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating Citizens Bank of West Virginia (“Citizens Bank”) regarding its recent data breach. The Citizens Bank data breach may have involved sensitive personal information belonging to over 35,000 individuals.
ABOUT CITIZENS BANK OF WEST VIRGINIA:
Citizens Bank is a locally owned community bank based in West Virginia. Founded in 1924, Citizens Bank provides a comprehensive line of banking, trust and investment products to consumers and businesses, including checking and savings accounts, credit and debit cards, loans, mortgages, and digital banking services.3 Headquartered in Elkins, West Virginia, Citizens Bank has five additional locations and employs over 50 individuals.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Recently, Citizens Bank discovered that it had experienced a data breach in which sensitive personal information in its systems may have been accessed and acquired. Through its investigation, Citizens Bank determined that an unauthorized party may have accessed this sensitive information between November 15 and November 27, 2023. On March 18, 2024, Citizens Bank began notifying individuals whose information may have been impacted. The exact type of personal information potentially exposed has not been made publicly available by Citizens Bank. However, according to state reporting guidelines, “personal information” can include the following types of information:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Driver’s license or identification card number
- Any single data element from the definition of PI when not in connection with the individual’s first name or first initial and last name, if the information is compromised, would be sufficient to permit a person to fraudulently assume or attempt to assume the identity of the person whose information was compromised.
If you received a breach notification letter from Citizens Bank of West Virginia:
We would like to speak with you about your rights and potential legal remedies in response to this data breach. Please fill out the form, below, or contact us at (608) 237-1775 or sam@turkestrauss.com.
If you were impacted by the Citizens Bank data breach, you may consider taking the following steps to protect your personal information.
- Carefully review the breach notice and retain a copy;
- Enroll in any free credit monitoring services provided by Citizens Bank of West Virginia:
- Change passwords and security questions for online accounts;
- Regularly review account statements for signs of fraud or unauthorized activity;
- Monitor credit reports for signs of identity theft; and
- Contact a credit bureau(s) to request a temporary fraud alert.