First American Bank of New Mexico Provides Notice of Data Security Incident

First American Bank of New Mexico is providing notice of a recent data security incident. The following notice provides information about the incident, First American Bank’s response, and resources available to help individuals protect their information from possible misuse, should they feel it necessary to do so.

What Happened? First American Bank identified suspicious activity related to some of its computer systems that included the encryption of certain files and launched an investigation, with the assistance of third-party forensic specialists, to determine the nature and scope of the activity. The investigation determined that certain computer systems were subject to unauthorized access between December 7, 2022 and July 10, 2023 and that certain files on these systems may have been copied and taken from First American Bank’s network. Following this determination, we began an in-depth process to identify the information that may have been contained in the files, including identifying the individuals involved as well as the types of personal information associated with these individuals. On September 26, 2024, this process was completed, and First American Bank determined that certain information related to you may have been involved. As part of this process, we also reviewed internal First American Bank records to identify address information.

What Information Was Involved? The information related to individuals that may be involved in this incident included individuals’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial account numbers, credit or debit card numbers, passport numbers, dates if birth, and medical information. The type of information at issue varies for each person. First American Bank has found no indication that identity theft or unauthorized use of the affected information has occurred.

What We Are Doing. First American Bank wanted to notify impacted individuals of this incident and to assure you that First American Bank takes it seriously. Upon learning of this incident, First American Bank took immediate steps to launch a comprehensive investigation, identify individuals affected and notify regulatory bodies as required. First American Bank is taking steps to implement additional safeguards and review policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security.

What You Can Do. First American Bank has arranged for impacted individuals to receive a complimentary free credit monitoring service through IDX. These services include fraud consultation and identity theft restoration services.  If you are impacted by this incident, you will receive further instructions on how to activate the credit monitoring and identity protection services in your formal notification letter that will be sent to you via US mail.

Regardless of whether you elect to activate the identity monitoring service, First American Bank strongly recommends that you remain vigilant for the next 12-24 months and regularly review and monitor all of your credit history to guard against any unauthorized transactions or activity. First American Bank also recommends that you closely monitor your account statements and notify First American Bank or any other of your financial institutions if you suspect any unauthorized activity.

For More Information.  Please be assured that we are taking steps to address the event and to help protect the security of your data. If you have any questions about this notice or the event, please feel free to contact us at 1-877-225-2085, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, excluding major U.S. holidays.

Steps You Can Take to Protect 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 your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your 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 you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one 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 your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide 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 you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax	Experian	TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/	https://www.experian.com/help/	https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
1-888-298-0045	1-888-397-3742	1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069	Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013	TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788	Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013	TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; www.riag.ri.gov; and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. There is 1 Rhode Island resident impacted by this incident.