On January 13, 2025, Chemeketa learned that Carruth Compliance Consulting, the third-party administrator of Chemeketa’s 403(b) and 457(b) retirement savings plans, discovered suspicious activity on its computer systems on December 21, 2024 (the “Carruth Incident” or “Incident”). Carruth reported that an investigation revealed that sensitive employee data for Carruth’s clients, including Chemeketa, was affected. Carruth’s customers include many Oregon school districts, educational service districts and other organizations.
Carruth reported that upon learning of the Incident, they began working with third-party specialists to investigate the activity, and then notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Carruth also engaged a sub-contractor to handle processing of information coming in from its clients. For the foreseeable future, no further retirement account transactions from Chemeketa employees will be processed by Carruth. We are in the process of transitioning to another provider for these services and will provide information about it in subsequent communications.
More information about this incident is available on Carruth’s website.
It appears that the Carruth Incident may potentially affect all individuals who were employed by Chemeketa between 2008 and January 2025. We encourage all potentially affected current and former employees to take the steps outlined below to monitor and protect their personal information.
Carruth reported that the affected information may include employee and beneficiary Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statement information (names, Social Security numbers, mailing addresses and compensation information), dates of birth, financial account information, email addresses, driver’s license numbers and medical billing information (but not medical records).
While Carruth provided third party administrative services for Chemeketa’s 403(b) and 457(b) retirement savings plan, Carruth also monitored our contributions compliance. This required us to provide data for all employees to ensure the District's practices were in compliance with IRS limits and requirements.
No. The Carruth Incident is a third party incident involving the Carruth systems – it has nothing to do with Chemeketa’s systems. Chemeketa’s systems were not involved in the Carruth Incident and Chemeketa’s systems remain secure.
There is no evidence that retirement accounts were affected, and we are in communication with the custodians of those accounts to ensure they remain secure.
We are working with Carruth and multiple other parties to understand the full scope of the Incident, to ensure all affected employees will be directly notified and provided appropriate remediation services, and to ensure Carruth is taking appropriate steps to mitigate the impact on our employees. We will update information about the incident as it becomes available.
Enroll in credit monitoring and identity restoration services: Carruth is offering free credit monitoring and identity restoration services through IDX, a firm that provides identity protection services to consumers affected by data security incidents. To enroll, call IDX at 1-877-720-7895.
Monitor your accounts: Regularly review your bank accounts, credit card statements, retirement accounts and other financial accounts for any suspicious activity. If you see anything unusual, report it to your financial services provider immediately.
Check your credit reports: You're entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion). Visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228 to order your free reports.
Consider placing a fraud alert on your credit file: Fraud alerts notify creditors to verify your identity before issuing new credit. You can place an initial fraud alert (lasting one year), or an extended fraud alert (lasting seven years), at no cost, if you believe you are a victim of identity theft.
Consider placing a Credit freeze on your credit file: Credit freezes prevent credit bureaus from releasing your credit report without your explicit consent. This makes it harder for identity thieves to open accounts in your name. You can place a credit freeze on your credit file at no cost.
Report any suspicious activity: If you suspect you are a victim of identity theft, you should file a police report. You can also report it to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.identitytheft.gov or 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338).
IDX is a leading data incident response services provider that helps protect people who may be affected by data security incidents. Carruth retained IDX to provide complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services to our employees and answer questions you may have about the incident.
Unfortunately, each impacted individual must enroll separately in the services provided by IDX. In order to enroll in the services provided by IDX, you must contact IDX at 877-720-7895 and provide them with information they request.