NOTICE OF DATA SECURITY INCIDENT
NOTICE OF DATA SECURITY INCIDENT
September 14, 2026
Hubbard County (the “County”)is notifying individuals about a recent cyber incident involving unauthorized access to a County Attorney’s Office email account. We take this matter very seriously because of our commitment to the privacy and security of all information. On September 14, 2026, we began mailing notification letters to impacted individuals. We are providing this Notice of Data Security Incident on our County website to inform potentially impacted individuals for whom we do not have sufficient contact information. We are also providing a toll-free telephone number,1-888-202-2039, which can be called between 8 AM – 8 PM CST, Monday through Friday excluding major holidays, if you have any questions about this incident or believe you may have been impacted and did not receive a letter. When calling, please share that you are calling about Hubbard County, Minnesota. We take this matter very seriously because of our commitment to the privacy and security of all County information.
What Happened
On July 1, 2026, the County learned that an email account used by the County Attorney’s Office was sending spam emails. As soon as we learned this, we immediately took steps to secure the account and launched an investigation with assistance from nationally recognized third-party cybersecurity and data forensics consultants. Through our investigation, we determined that cyber criminals accessed emails in the account between June 22, 2026 and July 1, 2026. After learning this, we conducted a thorough review to determine: (1) what information was involved; (2) who may have been affected; and (3) where those individuals reside. On July 27, 2026, we completed our review and began working to provide notice to impacted individuals.
What Information Was Involved
The affected information included name, date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, medical information, and/or health insurance contained within records used by the County Attorney’s Office.
What We Are Doing About It
To further enhance our security and to help prevent similar occurrences in the future, we have taken or will be taking the following steps:
Secured the impacted email account by changing the password;
Retraining employees regarding cybersecurity practices related to email;
Communicating with all staff regarding increased awareness of phishing emails; and
Ongoing investigation of additional tools, training, and third-party monitoring partnerships to strengthen security.
Additionally, the County notified Minnesota IT Services (“MNIT”).
What You Can Do
We recommend that you take the following preventative measures to help detect and mitigate any misuse of your information:
Remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by regularly reviewing your account statements, and free credit reportsfor any unauthorized or suspicious activity. Information on additional ways to protect your information, including how to obtain a free credit report and free security freeze, can be found at the end of this notice.
Report any incidents of suspected identity theft to your local law enforcement, state Attorney General, and the major credit bureaus.
For More Information
Please accept our apologies that this incident occurred. The privacy and security of information is important to us, and we remain committed to protecting it. If you have any questions or concerns about this incident, you may call our dedicated assistance lineat1-888-202-2039, between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT AND WAYS TO PROTECT YOURSELF
Visit https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/category/fraud-and-identity-theft/ for general information regarding identity protection. You can obtain additional information about fraud alerts, security freezes, and preventing identity theft from the consumer reporting agencies listed below and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by calling its identity theft hotline: 877-438-4338; TTY: 1-866-653-4261. They also provide information online at https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft. The FTC’s address is: Federal Trade Commission, Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. You have the ability to place a security freeze on your credit reports by contacting the following agencies.
National Credit Reporting Agencies Contact Information
Equifax P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-888-298-0045 www.equifax.com | Experian P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com |
Obtain Your Credit Report
You should also monitor your credit reports. You may periodically obtain your credit reports from each of the national consumer reporting agencies. In addition, under federal law, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting agencies listed above. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report by going to www.AnnualCreditReport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228. You also may complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form available from the FTC at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/www.consumer.ftc.gov/files/articles/pdf/pdf-0093-annual-report-request-form.pdf and mail it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. You may also contact any of the three major consumer reporting agencies to request a copy of your credit report.You may be able to obtain one or more (depending on the state) additional copies of your credit report, free of charge. You must contact each of the credit reporting agencies directly.
If you discover inaccurate information or a fraudulent transaction on your credit report, you have the right to request that the consumer reporting agency delete that information from your credit report file.
Fraud Alerts
You may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert is free and will stay on your credit file for one year. The alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that the creditor contact you prior to establishing any new accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any of the three national credit reporting agencies using the contact information listed above. As soon as one credit bureau confirms the fraud alert, they will notify the others. Additional information is available at www.annualcreditreport.com.
Security Freeze
You have the ability to place a security freeze on your credit report at no cost to you. A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans and services from being approved in your name without your consent. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you may be able to use an online process, an automated telephone line, or a written request to all three of the credit reporting agencies listed above. The following information must be included when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; (4) current address and any previous addresses for the past five years; (5) a legible copy of a government-issued identification card, (6) proof of current address, such as a legible copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement, (7) a legible copy of a recent W-2, pay stub, or Social Security card, and (8) if you are a victim of identity theft, a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. Under federal law, you cannot be charged to place, lift, or remove a security freeze.
After receiving your freeze request, each credit reporting company will send you a confirmation letter containing a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place, you will need it if you choose to lift the freeze.
Additional Helpful Information
Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that you check your credit reports periodically. Checking your credit report periodically can help you spot problems and address them quickly.
If you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or have reason to believe your information is being misused, call your local law enforcement agency and file a police report. Be sure to obtain a copy of the police report, as many creditors will want the information it contains to absolve you of the fraudulent debts. You may also file a complaint with the FTC by contacting them at the information provided above. This notice was not delayed as a result of a law enforcement investigation.
If your personal information has been used to file a false tax return, to open an account or to attempt to open an account in your name, or to commit fraud or other crimes against you, you may file a police report in the city in which you currently reside.