On March 12, 2023, we learned of a data breach experienced by Eye4Fraud, a company that provides fraud protection services for ecommerce companies.  We also learned that the breach may have included records relating to services Eye4Fraud provided to Designer Optics before 2020.  On March 14, 2023, Eye4Fraud issued this statement concerning the data breach:

We recently experienced a cybersecurity incident where a backup file that related to certain customers and contained limited information was subject to unauthorized access. We moved to promptly retain cybersecurity experts and outside advisors to assist us in our response. We have notified and are cooperating with law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident.

We provide fraud protection services for ecommerce merchants, who provide us with limited information about transactions. We do not collect sensitive personal information about individuals like account passwords or full payment card numbers in the course of providing our services.

We are working to understand the situation, and our priority is to provide accurate information, including any additional updates as appropriate.

Based on this statement, it appears that at most only limited data might have been disclosed: name, phone number, email address, and the last four digits of a payment card.  In addition, as noted, Designer Optics has not worked with this vendor since before 2020.  We are continuing to monitor the situation and will update this page (and, as appropriate, contacting customers) should we learn about further disclosures.

Please be assured we are committed to protecting your personal information. We share your frustration with this data breach that has been caused by a third party, and apologize for the inconvenience it may cause you.  If you have further questions or concerns, please call 718-412-0407 or email support@DesignerOptics.com.

As only limited information appears to have been disclosed, the risk of fraud using that information appears to be low.  However, please monitor charges on your payment card, bank accounts, and any other payment sites to make sure those charges are legitimate.  You may also, in your general use of the Internet, wish to consider taking any or all the following steps to protect your personal information:

• Order your free credit report Here, call 877-322-8228, or complete the Annual Credit Report Request Form available on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) website, https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/free-credit-reports. You should review your credit report and look for any unknown accounts or errors in reported information, and if you find any notify the three credit bureaus:
• Equifax: 1-800-685-1111; https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742; https://www.experian.com/help/
• TransUnion: 1-888-909-8872; https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
  

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the credit bureaus are required to: make sure that the information they collect about you is accurate; give you a free copy of your report once every 12 months; and give you a chance to fix any mistakes.

Place credit freezes or fraud alerts on your accounts with the credit bureaus. The FTC’s website, at https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/what-know-about-credit-freezes-fraud-alerts, explains these options.  A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report, which means you — or others — won’t be able to open a new credit account while the freeze is in place.  You can temporarily lift the credit freeze if you need to apply for new credit. When the freeze is in place, you will still be able to do things like apply for a job, rent an apartment, or buy insurance without lifting or removing it. A credit freeze lasts until you remove it.  A fraud alert will make it harder for someone to open a new credit account in your name.  A business must verify your identity before it issues new credit in your name.  When you place a fraud alert on your credit report, you can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three credit bureaus.  A fraud alert lasts one year.  After a year, you can renew it.  Other alerts available to people whose identity have been stolen or are on active duty are described on the FTC’s website.