Strauss Borrelli PLLC, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating Global Volunteers regarding its recent data breach. The Global Volunteers data breach may have involved sensitive personal identifiable information belonging to an undetermined number of individuals.
ABOUT GLOBAL VOLUNTEERS:
Global Volunteers is a private, non-profit volunteer organization based in Minnesota. Founded in 1984, Global Volunteers engages short-term volunteers on micro-economic and human development programs in close partnership with local people worldwide.3 Since its establishment, Global Volunteers has engaged over 35,000 volunteers around the world on a variety of projects, including teaching, childcare, medical, community development, and construction and renovation.3 Today, volunteers can choose to volunteer from one to three weeks in the following locations: China, the Cook Islands, Cuba, Ecuador, Greece, Italy, Nepal, Peru, Poland, Portugal, St. Lucia, Tanzania, USA, and Vietnam.3 Headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, Global Volunteers employs over 50 individuals.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Recently, Global Volunteers reported to the Attorney General of Vermont that it had experienced a data breach in which the sensitive personal identifiable information in its systems may have been accessed and acquired. According to the breach notice, in late September 2023, Global Volunteers discovered suspicious within its computer systems. As a result, Global Volunteers launched an investigation to determine the nature of the incident.
Through its investigation, Global Volunteers learned that sensitive personal information may have been viewed and downloaded from its systems between September 19 and September 26, 2023. As a result, Global Volunteers began a review of the data to determine what information had been impacted as well as identify the specific individuals affected. Recently, Global Volunteers completed this review. The exact type of personal information potentially exposed has not been made publicly available by Global Volunteers. However, according to state reporting guidelines, “personal information” can include the following types of information:
- Name
- Social Security number
- Driver’s license or other government issued ID card numbers (e.g., individual taxpayer ID number, passport number, military ID card number)
- Financial account number or credit or debit card number
- Unique biometric data (e.g., fingerprint, retina or iris image, or other unique biometric representation)
- Genetic information
- Health record or records of a wellness program or similar program of health promotion or disease prevention (e.g., healthcare professional’s medical diagnosis or treatment of the consumer, health insurance policy number)
On August 21, 2024, Global Volunteers began mailing data breach notification letters to impacted individuals. Based on the breach notices provided to the Attorney General of Vermont, Global Volunteers is providing affected individuals with a list of the specific type of sensitive information impacted and 24 months of complimentary credit monitoring services. A link to the form breach notification letter that Global Volunteers filed with the Attorney General of Vermont is below.
If you received a breach notification from Global Volunteers:
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 872.263.1100 or sam@straussborrelli.com.
