Valley Land Title Company, Ltd – Notice of Privacy Incident

Valley Land Title Company, Ltd. (“Valley Land”) is providing notification of an event that may impact the security of information related to certain current or former employees and individuals seeking services from Valley Land. Although Valley Land presently has no evidence that any such information has been used to commit identity theft or fraud, Valley Land is providing information about the event, steps taken since discovering the event, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information from possible misuse, should they feel it is appropriate to do so.

What Happened? In May 2024, Valley Land experienced a cyber event affecting certain systems within our network. We immediately launched an investigation to confirm the full nature and scope of the activity. The investigation determined there was unauthorized access to Valley Land’s network between May 8, 2024 and May 15, 2024, and that certain files and folders within the network were viewed and/or taken without authorization during that time. Although the full scope of impacted data is unconfirmed, Valley land is notifying potentially impacted individuals in an abundance of caution.

What Information Was Affected? The investigation into the affected information determined that the information potentially affected may include a combination of Valley Land is not aware of any reports of fraud or misuse of personal information related to this event.

What Valley Land is Doing. Valley Land takes this event and the security of information in our care very seriously. Upon becoming aware of this event, Valley Land promptly commenced an investigation with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity resources. The investigation and response included confirming the security of our systems, reviewing the contents of relevant data for sensitive information, and investigating to determine the information that may be involved.  As part of our ongoing commitment to the privacy of information in our care, we are reviewing policies, procedures and processes to reduce the likelihood of a similar future event.

For More Information.  If you believe you are potentially impacted by this incident or have additional questions, you may contact Valley Land by phone at (956)-687-7763 or by mail at 6013 North 10th Street McAllen, TX 78504.

What You Can Do. Valley Land encourages all potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant by reviewing account statements, monitoring free credit reports and Explanation of Benefits for suspicious activity, and to detect errors.  Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228.  You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report.  To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card,  etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Additional Information

Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state attorney general. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. Consumers have the right to file a police report if they ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, consumers will likely need to provide some proof that they have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and state attorney general. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.