LPL Financial LLC, a broker-dealer and custodian for financial advisor accounts, recently notified clients of an incident involving the unauthorized disclosure of personal information. On September 6, 2024, a financial advisor reported that Social Security numbers were visible in the payee line of three checks mailed to a client’s home address. Upon investigation, LPL Financial confirmed that the Social Security number was inadvertently included in the address block of checks sent on June 24, 2024, and August 19, 2024.
The checks were delivered via USPS, and there is no evidence suggesting that the exposed information was targeted or misused for fraudulent activities or identity theft. However, due to the visibility of the sensitive data, LPL Financial took precautionary measures to address the situation and ensure client security. As part of these efforts, the company launched an internal investigation and evaluated its processes to prevent similar incidents in the future.
To protect affected individuals, LPL Financial is offering complimentary 24-month memberships to Experian’s IdentityWorks Credit 3B. This service provides identity protection and identity theft resolution without affecting credit scores. Clients have been encouraged to activate their memberships and review the detailed instructions included in the notification letter to safeguard their personal information.
LPL Financial emphasized its commitment to protecting client data and deeply regrets any inconvenience or concern caused by this incident. Clients are urged to remain vigilant, monitor their accounts, and take advantage of the provided identity protection services. Additional resources and steps to enhance personal information security were outlined in the company’s communication to affected individuals.
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