We’ve detected that you are using an outdated browser.

Notification of Data Security Incident

April 9, 2024 – On August 1st, 2023, American Farmland Trust (“AFT”) discovered suspicious activity related to an employee email account. Upon discovery, AFT immediately took steps to secure its email system and network and began an investigation, aided by third-party forensic specialists, to confirm the nature and scope of the incident. The investigation determined that the email account was subject to access by an unauthorized third party.

Following a thorough analysis and time-consuming review, it was recently determined that information contained in the affected email account may have included personally identifiable information (“PII”). The type of information contained within the affected email account includes first and last names, in combination with one or more of the following: date of birth, Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, financial account number, routing number, and/or payment card information.

At this time, AFT is not aware of any evidence to suggest that any information has been fraudulently misused. However, AFT was unable to rule out the possibility that the information may have been accessed during the compromise period. Therefore, out of an abundance of caution, AFT is notifying potentially impacted individuals of this incident.

In response to this incident, AFT has partnered with third-party forensic specialists to fully investigate the nature and scope of this matter and to evaluate and reinforce existing security measures within the network to ensure optimal data security. Although AFT has no reason to believe any individual’s information has been or will be misused as a result of this incident, individuals are nonetheless encouraged to monitor their credit reports and account statements for suspicious activity and to detect errors.

AFT has established a toll-free number to answer questions about the incident and to address related concerns. The number to call is 1-800-405-6108, 8 am-8 pm Eastern time.

The security of information is of the utmost importance to AFT. AFT stays committed to protecting your trust and continues to be thankful for your support.

What steps can I take to protect my private information?

• If you detect suspicious activity on any of your accounts, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You should also report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidents of identity theft to law enforcement.
• You may obtain a copy of your credit report at no cost from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies.  To do so, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three agencies appears at the bottom of this page.
• You can take steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission to protect yourself from identity theft. The FTC’s website offers helpful information at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

Was my information specifically impacted?

AFT has no evidence to suggest that any information was subject to attempted or actual misuse. Upon learning of the potential unauthorized access, we performed a thorough review to determine the types of information that may have been present within the affected data. We are providing notification in an abundance of caution.

How do I obtain a copy of my credit report?

You can obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, directly from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies once every twelve (12) months. To do so, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three agencies is included in the notification letter and is also listed at the bottom of this page.

How do I put a fraud alert on my account?

A fraud alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that creditors contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion and follow the Fraud Victims instructions. To place a fraud alert on your credit accounts, contact your financial institution or credit provider. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting agencies is listed below.

Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting agencies is as follows:

Additional Information

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the credit reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or your state Attorney General. The FTC also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. The FTC may be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud.  Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim.  Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement, your state Attorney General, and the FTC. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at 400 6th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001, 202-442-9828, and https://oag.dc.gov/consumer-protection. American Farmland Trust may be contacted at 1150 Connecticut Ave. NW, Ste. 600, Washington, DC 20036.

For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-528-8662 or 1-888-743-0023; and https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/. American Farmland Trust may be contacted at 1150 Connecticut Ave. NW, Ste. 600, Washington, DC 20036.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information.  Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from the violator.  You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here.  Identity theft victims and active-duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at the Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov/.

For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.

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 are [#] Rhode Island residents impacted by this incident.