February 1, 2021
I write with important information about a recent privacy breach involving your personal information. Local 213 Electrical Workers Welfare and Pension Plans became aware of this breach on January 18, 2021. This breach occurred as follows:
On January 18, 2021 at approximately 7:05am an employee’s vehicle was stolen from their residence while they were loading the vehicle to drive to work. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 compliance, staff have been working remotely and a file box containing full names, addresses and social insurance numbers (SIN) had just been loaded into the vehicle prior to the theft. The RCMP have been contacted and an investigation is underway.
Although this information does not seem to be the target of the crime committed, this personal information could end up in the wrong hands and therefore, in an effort to protect yourself you should:
- Remain vigilant about any suspicious activity and check your credit reports, as well as your other account statements, periodically over the next 12 to 36 months. Credit reports may be obtained from each of the national credit bureaus listed below.
- Immediately report any suspicious activity to the credit bureaus listed below.
- Place a fraud alert on your credit report. A fraud alert tells creditors to contact you before they open any new credit accounts or change your existing accounts. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in your name. As soon as one of the credit bureaus confirms your fraud alert, the other credit bureau will be automatically notified in order to place alerts on your credit report, and the reports will be sent to you free of charge. To place a fraud alert on your credit file, contact one of the two national credit bureaus at the numbers provided below.
- Continue to monitor your credit reports. Even with a fraud alert on your account, you should continue to monitor your credit reports to ensure that an imposter has not opened an account with your personal information.
Local 213 Electrical Workers Welfare and Pension Plans will cover the cost for you to receive free credit monitoring for one year with Equifax or TransUnion. In order to receive this service, please contact the EWWP office electronically by email at info@213benefits.org or by phone at 604-571-6545 or toll free at 1-800-368-0277 and select/request the Health and Welfare office.
Our office staff will walk you through the set-up process and provide you with the individualized code to receive the free monitoring services.
You may also contact the credit bureaus directly for information, other services and advice by calling the numbers below, or you can visit their websites for further information:
- Equifax: 1-800-465-7166; www.equifax.ca
- TransUnion: 1-800-663-9980; www.transunion.ca
Should you need to contact Local 213 Electrical Workers Welfare and Pension Plans with questions and concerns about the loss of your personal information, you can call us during normal business hours (8:00am-4:30pm) toll-free from anywhere in the province or our direct line if you are calling within the Greater Vancouver Region.
- Toll Free at 1-800-368-0277 and select/request the Health and Welfare office
- Direct within the Greater Vancouver Region 604-571-6545
We established a section on our website http://213pension.org/privacy with updated information. We also filed a report with the Office of Privacy Commissioner of Canada, reference number 0V23OW892E9K.
We take our role in safeguarding your personal information and using it in an appropriate manner very seriously. Please rest assured that we are doing everything we can to rectify the situation.
Please note that under the federal and provincial Privacy Acts you are entitled to register a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia with regard to this breach. Complaints may be forwarded to the following:
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau (Quebec)
K1A 1H3
Email: notification@priv.gc.ca
Website: http://priv.gc.ca
Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia
PO Box 9038 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, British Columbia
V8V 9A4
Email: info@oipc.bc.ca
Website: http://oipc.bc.ca
Should you have any questions regarding this notice or if you would like more information, please do not hesitate to communicate with the undersigned.
Sincerely,
Scott Ashton,
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Local 213 Electrical Workers Welfare and Pension Plans