The City of Jacksonville Beach, FL Provides Notice of Data Security Incident
Jacksonville Beach, FL-March 20, 2024-3:00 PM EDT- The City of Jacksonville Beach, FL (the
“City”) is providing notice of an event which may affect the privacy of information for certain employees
of the City and customers of Beaches Energy Services. Although the City is unaware of any misuse of
information, the City is providing written notification to potentially affected individuals containing
information about the incident, steps taken since discovering the incident, and what individuals can do to
help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.
On or about January 29, 2024, the City began experiencing information system issues as a result of a
cybersecurity event. The City immediately took steps to secure its systems and launched an investigation.
This investigation determined that certain files in the City’s systems were subject to unauthorized access
and that information may have been taken from our network between January 22, 2024 through January
29, 2024. As a result, the City began a thorough review of the data stored within involved systems to
determine the type of information contained within them and to whom the information relates.
While this review is ongoing, the City recently determined involved systems and files may include
sensitive information for certain individuals. Notice is being mailed to the City employees and customers
of Beaches Energy Services whose information may have been impacted. The information that could have
been impacted varies by individual, but may include the individual’s name, social security number,
driver’s license number, and/or bank account information.
The City is providing notice of this event directly to individuals whose information was involved, and has
notified state and federal regulators. The City also reviewed existing security policies and implemented
additional measures to further protect against similar incidents moving forward.
Individuals who believe they are potentially impacted by this incident or have additional questions may
call the dedicated assistance line at 844-709-0703, which is available between the hours of 9:00 AM and
9:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, excluding major US holidays. Individuals may also visit
[Link] for more information.
The City encourages potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft
and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor their credit reports 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 a free credit report,
visit [Link] or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact
the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their 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 1-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 consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud
alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please
contact any 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 a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit
freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report
may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they
make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit.
Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report.
To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of 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 they are a victim of identity theft.
Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit
reporting bureaus listed below:
Equifax Experian TransUnion
[Link] [Link] [Link]
report-services/ help
1-888-298-0045 1-888-397-3742 1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box
Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 9554, Allen, TX 75013 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O.
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094
Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the
steps they can take to protect their 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; [Link]; 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 the relevant state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by
law enforcement.
