Got a letter about North Kingstown's data breach? Here's why the town had your information

The Town of North Kingstown says there's no reason to panic if you're one of the 103,000 people who received a letter about a data breach in the mail last week.

"Please know that we have no indication that your data has been used or compromised," says a notice that was posted on the town's website on Friday. "This letter is being sent due to your name simply being in our system and out of an abundance of caution, we are offering complimentary access to a credit monitoring service."

North Kingstown fell victim to a ransomware attack in April, and mailed out notices about the "security incident" last week. Since then, officials have been inundated with "hundreds of phone calls," the town's statement says.

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The notices inform recipients that their personal information — including name, address, Social Security number and driver's license number — may have been "affected" by the breach. However, there's no indication that data was "used or compromised," the letters say.

The letters weren't just sent to North Kingstown residents, but also to thousands of other people who may not have known that their information was stored somewhere on the town's computers. As a result, they've generated widespread confusion.

"There could be several reasons why your name was in our system,'" the town's statement says. "Traffic incidents, police reports, fire service, beach passes, marriage certificates, municipal court and probate court matters are just some of the reasons your name was included."

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Another source of confusion: Though the mass-mailed letters feature North Kingstown's town seal and Town Manager Ralph Mollis' signature, the return address is a post office box in Suwanee, Georgia — leading some recipients to suspect a scam.

"Please note — this is not a scam — this is a legitimate letter," the message on the town's website says.

Anyone who receives one of the letters is eligible for two years of free credit monitoring from Equifax. The letter contains details about how to sign up.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: North Kingstown data breach: Town explains "security incident" letters