Substitute Notice of Security Breach

Williamsville State Bank and Trust has previously mailed notice by U.S. mail to individuals whose information may be subject to compromise as the result of a security breach which occurred in 2024. For those few limited instances where that mailed notice was returned, or where insufficient contact information existed, we provide the following information to comply with substitute notice provisions under various state statutes.

What Happened? On December 24, 2024, we became aware of a security breach, due to unauthorized attempts by a bad actor to initiate fraud with correspondent financial institutions by email communications. These attempts failed; however, the bad actor obtained unauthorized access to various information.  At this time, we believe the improper access began in or around October 16, 2024. Security was restored as of December 27, 2024.

What Information Was Involved? Some information subject to access contained a name or names in association with one or more of the following items: account number, credit card number, debit card number, social security number, state or governmental identification card number, or driver’s license number. Information subject to access, or accessed, varies between persons.

What We Are Doing. The Bank has implemented additional security measures and is further reinforcing procedural safeguards with our correspondent financial institutions. The Bank remains vigilant for irregular and unusual account activity. The Bank has also advised regulatory and law enforcement authorities.

What You Can Do. We recommend you monitor your transactions involving private personal information and remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft, by reviewing your account statements when received, by reviewing and monitoring free credit reports and taking advantage of other assistance items noted below in this letter, to best detect any errors or irregularities that may have resulted from the intrusion. In the event you experience any suspicious activity or incidents, contact law enforcement immediately, including the Attorney General for your state of residency, and report any incidents of identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission. We remind you to remain vigilant, especially over the next twelve to twenty-four months, and to also promptly and immediately report incidents of suspected identity theft, and/or suspicious activity (including any suspicious account statements) to the Bank, and any other financial entities you may be doing business with.

Other Important Information. You can obtain information from the Federal Trade Commission and the credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion about fraud alerts and security freezes (also known as “credit freezes”), and free credit reports. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also has online guidance at https://identitytheft.gov/ to assist you in protecting against identity theft.

Fraud Alerts: A fraud alert on the customer’s consumer or credit report is intended to put the customer’s creditors on notice that the customer may be a victim of fraud. A fraud alert tells a business creditor to check with you before opening a new account in your name. An initial fraud alert lasts for one year and can be renewed. To establish a free fraud alert, contact one of the three credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. When establishing a fraud alert, the contacted credit bureau will contact the other two bureaus. Additionally, Equifax, Experian, TransUnion and the Federal Trade Commission each can provide additional information on fraud alerts and other free services to assist you.

Security and Credit Freezes: A security freeze, (also known as a “credit freeze”), is designed to prevent a business from accessing your credit report without your consent (with certain exceptions). Unlike a fraud alert it will be necessary for you to contact each national credit bureau individually (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to have that specific credit bureau place a free freeze on your credit report.

Credit Reports: Every person, by law, can obtain a free copy of their credit report from each of the three principal national credit bureaus through a centralized source maintained jointly by Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. These are the ONLY ways to order your free annual credit reports: 1) Visit: www.annualcreditreport.com This is the ONLY website authorized to fill orders for the free annual credit report you are entitled to by law. The FTC also advises you to be cautious of imposter sites. 2) Call: 1-877-322-8228, or 3) Write/mail: Annual Credit Report Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281 (include a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form, that form is available online ONLY at www.annualcreditreport.com).

Additional Guidance: Federal guidance recommends that persons whose private personal information may be compromised obtain and review periodic credit reports from each of the nationwide credit reporting agencies and, if any fraudulent transaction appears on a report, to contact that reporting company to have the transaction deleted.

CAUTION: Even if you were unaffected by the security breach, we urge you to be mindful of potential secondary scams, where bad actors may pose as law enforcement, a bank or another financial institution’s personal, and urge you to act quickly or immediately. Require proper verification and proof from any person who contacts you.  Verify any contact you receive, or that you make, through trusted publicly available secondary sources. Do not rely solely on contact information provided by someone urging you to act. Confirm all facts via a trusted publicly available secondary source.

For More Information. If you have questions or concerns, or need particular assistance, please call the Williamsville State Bank and Trust between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday at our tollfree number 1-(855) 566-3387, or reach us at 1-(217) 698-9728 and ask to speak with a Response Team Member. Our (217) 698-9728 number readily verifiable through public sources, should you desire to confirm. Any inquiries  should be by phone or U.S. mail for security purposes. Our mailing address is:

Williamsville State Bank and Trust
Attn: Substitute Notice
3341 Old Jacksonville Road
Springfield IL 62711

Also please see Further Information below.

Sincerely,
WILLIAMSVILLE STATE BANK AND TRUST

Further Information:

Consumer Reporting Agencies (Credit Bureaus):
Equifax Information Services LLC, P.O. Box 740256, Atlanta, GA 30348  Ph:1-888-378-4329 or 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com  /  Experian National Consumer Assistance, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 Ph: 1-888-397-3742   www.experian.com  /  TransUnion, Fraud Victim Assistance Department, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016-2000  Ph: 1-800-680-7289 or 1-888-909-8872  www.transunion.com

Federal Trade Commission: (for identity theft guidance and to report suspected incidents of identity theft): Federal Trade Commission c/o Bureau of Consumer Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20580  Ph: 1-877-382-4357 or 1-877- IDTHEFT or TDD: 1-866-653-4261 https://www.identitytheft.gov/ or https://www.ftc.gov  To report suspected incidents of identity theft: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

Illinois Attorney General: Identity Theft Hotline and Information: Illinois Attorney General, 500 South 2nd St., Springfield, IL 62701, Ph 1-866-999-5630   “Individuals with hearing or speech disabilities can reach us by using the  7-1-1 relay service.”  https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov  or  https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/identity-theft/