Oak Valley Community Bank ovcb.com Oak Valley Community Bank data breach: what happened and what to do
Oak Valley Community Bank in California told regulators that an unauthorized party accessed its systems in early February 2021. A filing lists 12,057 people affected, with names and Social Security numbers exposed.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- Feb 2021
- Affected
- 12,057
- Data exposed
- Names, Social security 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
Oak Valley Community Bank, based in Oakdale, California, notified the California Attorney General of a security incident. The bank's notice says an unauthorized party reached a workstation and then one file server. A filing with the Maine Attorney General puts the access on February 1 and 2, 2021, with discovery on February 2. Notification letters went out on May 11, 2021.
Sources checked: oag.ca.gov, apps.web.maine.gov, consumer.ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What was exposed
The Maine filing lists names combined with Social Security numbers, and a total of 12,057 people affected. That pairing is what identity thieves need to apply for loans and cards in someone else's name. The notices don't list account numbers or passwords.
The bank's response
The bank offered two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection and said it is auditing its systems for unauthorized activity and adding network monitoring tools.
What this means for you
A Social Security number can't be changed easily, so the practical protection is to make it harder to use. A free credit freeze does that.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Freeze your credit at all three bureaus
A freeze is free and stops lenders from seeing your credit report, which blocks most new accounts opened in your name. You place it separately at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, per the FTC.
- 2
Enroll in the credit monitoring
The bank offered two years. The FTC recommends accepting it. Use the enrollment steps in your letter.
- 3
Check your credit reports
Look for accounts you don't recognize at annualcreditreport.com.
- 4
Expect bank-themed phishing
Don't click links in messages that mention the breach. Contact the bank using the number on its website or your statement.
- 5
Report misuse
Report identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan.
- 6
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free Serus scan. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your details show up, so you know when to repeat these steps.
Official filings
- California Attorney General , filed 11 May 2021
Timeline
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The breach happened
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Reported to the California Attorney General
Frequently asked
How many people were affected by the Oak Valley Community Bank breach?
A filing with the Maine Attorney General lists 12,057 people in total.
What was exposed?
Names combined with Social Security numbers, per the Maine filing.
Did the bank offer credit monitoring?
Yes, two years of credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Sources
- oag.ca.gov/privacy/databreach/list
- apps.web.maine.gov/online/aeviewer/ME/40/cbe86e6a-72e3-4f7f-a3e3-2d2027cb48ee.shtml
- consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-and-fraud-alerts
- identitytheft.gov/databreach
- annualcreditreport.com
- consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2022/10/have-you-been-affected-data-breach-read
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