Vendini Data Breach Notice

IMPORTANT INFORMATION.  PLEASE READ IN ITS ENTIRETY.

Dear Patron:

We regret to inform you that on April 25, 2013, Vendini, Inc. detected an unauthorized intrusion into its systems.  Vendini provides box-office and online ticketing services to hundreds of entertainment venues, which include tour, casino, sports, and arts organizations across the U.S. and Canada.  Based on our records, you attended at least one event at a venue or organization that uses Vendini’s service, and your personal information may have been affected by this incident.

If you have already received a letter from Vendini or a Vendini customer (an event venue or organization who uses our ticketing service), this letter concerns the SAME incident, and we apologize for any inconvenience.  We have been working with our customers for several weeks, and we decided at this point to reach out directly to give you more information about what happened.

We are actively cooperating with federal law enforcement, and this notification was delayed to avoid compromising law enforcement’s investigation.  In addition, we have been conducting a full-scale internal investigation at Vendini with outside computer forensic and security experts.  We have taken several steps to further enhance security designed to prevent a recurrence of this incident.

Under Massachusetts law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident.  If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it.

In addition, please note the following:
To protect against even the possibility of identity theft or fraud, we urge you to remain vigilant, and to regularly review your credit card account statements and credit reports for any unauthorized activity.
If you suspect that you may be a victim of identity theft or fraud, immediately contact your local law enforcement agency, your State Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission.  Massachusetts law also allows consumer to place a security freeze on their credit reports, and you can find additional information about security freezes and other resources in the enclosed Resources Guide for your reference.
Do NOT respond to any requests for sensitive personal information in relation to this incident. Vendini will never request such information via email or telephone unless it is absolutely necessary to respond directly to you regarding how this incident may impact you.
We sincerely regret this incident. Protecting data privacy and security is a top priority for Vendini, Inc.  For more information regarding this incident, please contact Vendini toll-free at 1-800-836-0473 or visit www.vendini.com/info.

Sincerely,

Mark Tacchi
President and CEO
Resources Guide

U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC):  The FTC has helpful information about how to avoid identity theft and other steps that consumers can take to protect themselves.
Write to:  Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, H-130, Washington, D.C. 20580
     Call Toll-Free: 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338); or Visit: http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft

Free Annual Credit Report:  You may obtain a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months (or purchase or obtain additional copies of your credit report).  Call Toll-Free:  1-877-322-8228; or Visit:  https://www.annualcreditreport.com; or Contact any one or more of the national consumer reporting agencies:
Equifax:                  P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241           (800) 685-1111            www.equifax.com
Experian:               P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013                                 (888) 397-3742            www.experian.com
TransUnion:         P. O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022                           (800) 888-4213            www.transunion.com


“Fraud Alerts” and “Security Freezes”

Fraud Alert - You have the right to place a fraud alert in your file to alert potential creditors that you may be a victim of identity theft.  Creditors must then follow certain procedures to protect you; therefore, a fraud alert may delay your ability to obtain credit.  An “initial fraud alert” stays in your file for at least 90 days.  An “extended fraud alert” stays in your file for 7 years, and will require an identity theft report (usually, a filed police report).  You may place a fraud alert by calling any one of the three national consumer reporting agencies:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285                 Experian: 1-888-397-3742                 TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

Security Freeze – Massachusetts law allows you to place a security freeze on your credit file, which prevents credit, loans and services from being approved in your name without your consent.  Using a freeze may delay, interfere with, or prevent the timely approval of any requests you make for new loans, credit mortgages, employment, housing or other services.  To place a freeze, you must send a written request to each of the three major consumer reporting agencies (addresses below) with the following (if you are requesting a credit report for your spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) Full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security Number; (3) Date of Birth; (4) Current address and any previous addresses for the past several years; and (5) Any applicable incident report or complaint with a law enforcement agency or the Registry of Motor Vehicles or other complaint concerning identity theft; (6) A copy of a government-issued identification card and (7) A copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement for proof of current address.  Copies of documents must be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue.  The credit reporting agencies have three (3) business days after receiving your request to place a security and must send you send written confirmation to you within five (5) business days and provide you with a unique personal identification number (PIN) or password, or both that can be used by you to authorize the removal or lifting of the security freeze.

To lift the security freeze in order to allow a specific entity or individual access to your credit report, you must call or mail a written request to the credit reporting agencies and include proper identification and the PIN number or password provided to you, as well as the identities of the entities or individuals who may receive your credit report and the specific period of time it should be available. The credit reporting agencies have three (3) business days after receiving your request to lift the security freeze as requested.
To remove the security freeze, you must send a written request to each of the three credit bureaus by mail and include proper identification (name, address, and social security number) and the PIN number or password provided to you when you placed the security freeze. The credit bureaus have three (3) business days after receiving your request to remove the security freeze.

The credit reporting agency may charge a fee up to $5.00 to place, lift, and/or remove a freeze.  Do not send cash through the mail.  If you are a victim of identity theft, and you have submitted a valid police report to the credit reporting agency, it cannot charge you to place, lift, or remove a security freeze.

Equifax Security Freeze:  P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta, Georgia 30348 (www.equifax.com)
Experian Security Freeze:  P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 (www.experian.com)
TransUnion (Fraud Victim Assistance Division):  P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 (www.transunion.com)