The state is currently seeking confirmation from South Carolina that the notice required by state law was actually sent to affected Hawaii residents as well as verification of the number of Hawaii residents affected by the breach.          

For those residents who believe they may have been affected by the South Carolina incident, South Carolina is providing a year of credit monitoring and fraud resolution services through Experian’s ProtectMyID Alert Program.  They should call 1-866-578-5422 for more information or go to www.protectmyid.com/scdor.

Businesses are required by Hawaii law to notify customers of any security breach involving personal information in any form following discovery of the breach.  Hawaii law also requires businesses to notify the state about the breach without unreasonable delay as well as information on the timing, distribution and content of the notices sent by the business to affected persons.

Identity Theft Warning Signs

• Unauthorized charges on your credit card
  
• Receiving credit cards that you did not seek
  
• Missing credit card bills
  
• Calls or letters from debt collectors or businesses about merchandise you did not buy or services you did not authorize
  
• Being denied credit or offered credit at less favorable terms for no apparent reason
  
• Unauthorized credit cards or charges on your credit report
  

Tips on Protecting Yourself Following a Security Breach

• Contact your creditors, including credit card companies, banks, and other lenders, to determine whether there is any suspicious or unauthorized activity that has occurred on your accounts.
  
• Place an initial fraud alert on your credit report.  You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report.  Order it and review it for problems.
  
• Contact any of the three consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report.  A fraud alert does not block potential new credit, but places a comment on your history. Creditors should contact you prior to opening a new account.  You only need to contact one of the three companies because that company is required to contact the other two. Once you place a fraud alert on your file, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report.  The credit reporting agencies will send you a letter telling you how to order your free report. When you receive your credit reports, review them carefully and look for any suspicious activity.
  
• Consider placing a credit freeze on your credit reports.  A credit freeze means that your credit file cannot be shared with potential creditors or insurance companies. You, too, will not be able to open new credit while a freeze is in place.  Individuals can request that a freeze be temporarily lifted for the purpose of obtaining new credit.
  
• Remain alert.  It's especially important in the first year following a security breach notification.
  

All consumers can obtain a free annual credit report from each of the three major credit-reporting agencies, regardless of whether they have been identity theft victims. Call 1-877-322-8228 or request one online at www.annualcreditreport.com. Reports can also be requested directly from one of the reporting companies. Carefully review this report for suspicious activity.

Credit Reporting Agencies:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion:  1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790