Notice of Data Privacy Event

The Peddie School (“Peddie”) is committed to protecting the privacy of its community. As part of this commitment, we are providing notice of an incident that may have involved certain individuals’ information. Below is information concerning the incident along with some resources that can help you protect against the possibility of misuse of your information.

What Happened. We became aware of suspicious activity involving our computer network and immediately began an investigation. The investigation determined that Peddie’s systems were accessed by an unknown actor between October 30, 2023 and December 22, 2023, and during this time certain files were copied. We reviewed the systems to identify their contents and to determine if they contain information belonging to individuals. This comprehensive review was completed on or around December 24, 2024.

What Information Was Involved? The investigation determined that the following types of information were present in the affected systems: name, Social Security number, taxpayer identification number, driver’s license or state identification number, military or other government-issued identification number, passport number, financial account information, medical information, and health insurance information.

What We Are Doing. Peddie takes this incident and the security of the information in our care very seriously. Upon learning of the suspicious activity, we took steps to assess and secure our network and we worked with third-party cybersecurity specialists to determine what happened. We notified individuals as information became available. We also reported the incident to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Peddie has implemented additional security measures within the network and completed a review of our policies and procedures to mitigate reoccurrence of this type of incident.

Peddie is notifying affected individuals via this supplemental notification on our website, providing notice to relevant media outlets, and mailing letters to individuals for whom we have address information. We are also notifying the three major consumer reporting agencies (i.e., Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and appropriate government regulators.

What You Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing your account statements and monitoring your free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors over the next 12 to 24 months. Please also review the information contained in the enclosed Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information.

For More Information. If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact us at 1-833-918-9466 Monday through Friday from 9am to 9pm Eastern Time, excluding major U.S. holidays. Be prepared to provide engagement number B142347. You may also write to Peddie at 201 S Main St, Hightstown, NJ 08520.

Steps You Can Take To Help Protect Personal Information

Monitor Your Accounts

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 www.annualcreditreport.com 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 you wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, 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 the relevant state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.