GreenSlate greenslate.com GreenSlate data breach: what happened and what to do
A former GreenSlate employee downloaded client documents between December 10 and 15, 2021. Maine's Attorney General lists 50,217 people affected. Names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and direct deposit bank details were among the data involved.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- 10 Dec 2021
- Affected
- 50,217
- Data exposed
- Names, Dates of birth, Social security numbers, Government issued IDs, Bank account numbers
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
What happened
GreenSlate is a New York payroll and business services firm for the entertainment industry. Between December 10 and 15, 2021, a former employee in Canada downloaded client documents. GreenSlate discovered it on December 22, 2021 and contacted the FBI, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Toronto Police Service the next day.
At law enforcement's request, GreenSlate held off on notifying people until March 1, 2022, when the Toronto Police Service arrested the former employee.
What was exposed
The state Attorney General filing lists 50,217 people affected in total, including 62 Maine residents. What was in each person's documents varied. It may have included names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, Canadian Social Insurance numbers, work authorization papers and direct deposit bank details.
Payroll files are a rich target. A Social Security number with bank details lets a criminal try to redirect pay or open accounts, and work authorization papers can support identity fraud.
The company's response
GreenSlate notified affected people and offered 24 months of identity monitoring through Kroll. Payroll and onboarding records tend to hold the same details lenders and employers ask for, which is why a freeze and close watching of your bank activity are the sensible response.
Sources checked: consumer.ftc.gov, identitytheft.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
Your Social Security number was involved, so a credit freeze is the strongest step. The FTC says it's free and you place it separately at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. A freeze stops lenders from seeing your report, which blocks most new accounts opened in your name.
- 2
Enroll in the identity monitoring you were offered
The notice letter explains how to enroll in the 24 months of monitoring. The FTC recommends using free monitoring when a company offers it after a breach.
- 3
Check your direct deposit and bank accounts
Look for changes to payroll deposits or transactions you don't recognize. Tell your bank right away if you see any, and consider asking it about extra verification on your account.
- 4
Watch your accounts and statements
Check bank and card statements and your credit reports for anything you don't recognize. You can get free reports at annualcreditreport.com. If something looks wrong, report it at IdentityTheft.gov, the FTC's reporting site.
Official filings
- California Attorney General , filed 9 Mar 2022
Timeline
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The breach happened
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Reported to the California Attorney General
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the GreenSlate breach?
If you got a notice letter, yes. The state AG filing lists 50,217 people in total. If you worked on a production that used GreenSlate payroll around 2021 and got no letter, ask the company.
What was exposed?
It depended on the document: names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, Social Insurance numbers, work authorization papers and direct deposit bank details.
Was this a hack?
Reporting on the notice says a former employee downloaded the documents, and police later arrested that person.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
