Strauss Borrelli PLLC, a leading data breach law firm, is investigating McFarlane, Inc. regarding its recent data breach. The McFarlane data breach may have involved sensitive personal information belonging to an undetermined number of individuals.
ABOUT MCFARLANE, INC.:
McFarlane is an HVAC contracting firm based in North Dakota. Founded in 1959, McFarlane started as a sheet metal fabrication provider for the local milling industries.2 Overtime, McFarlane expanded into the commercial and industrial Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning market with an emphasis on design build HVAC and TAB/Commission/Retro-Commissioning fields.2 Today, McFarlane specializes in industrial ventilation, industrial process and millwright installations, custom sheet metal welding/fabrication, commercial HVAC installations, design build HVAC, Test & Balance/Commissioning/Retro-Commissioning and residential/commercial/industrial HVAC service.2 Headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, McFarlane employs over 20 individuals.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Recently, McFarlane reported to the Attorney General of Vermont that it had experienced a data breach in which sensitive personal identifiable information in its systems may have been accessed and acquired. According to the breach notice, McFarlane recently discovered that it had experienced unauthorized access to its network. As a result, McFarlane launched an investigation to determine the nature of the incident.
Through its investigation, McFarlane discovered that sensitive personal information in its systems may have been viewed and obtained by an unauthorized third party on or around August 22, 2024. As a result, McFarlane began a review of the data to determine what information had been impacted as well as identify the specific individuals affected. The exact type of personal information potentially exposed has not been made publicly available by McFarlane. 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 November 22, 2024, McFarlane began mailing data breach notification letters to impacted individuals. Based on the breach notice sent to Vermont residents, McFarlane is providing affected individuals with a list of the specific types of sensitive information impacted and 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring services. A link to the form breach notification letters that McFarlane filed with the Attorney General of Vermont is below.
If you received a breach notification letter from McFarlane, Inc.:
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.
