Anna Bradley-Smith  |  May 28, 2021

Category: Data Breach

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Herff Jones Mismanaged Graduates Personal Data Resulting in Huge Data Breach
(Photo Credit: siam.pukkato/Shutterstock.com)

Thousands of graduates who rented or bought graduation products from Herff Jones have had their personal information stolen and bank accounts hacked due to the company’s mismanagement of personal data, a new class action lawsuit alleges.

The nationwide class action lawsuit was filed in Indiana on May 27 by lead Plaintiffs Justin Ahn, Kevin Bersch, Leighton Blackwood, and Kristin Walker, who all faced fraudulent charges in their bank accounts after placing an order with Herff Jones.

The group alleges that their personally identifiable information was compromised due to the company’s negligent and “careless acts and omissions and the failure to protect customers’ data.”

In early May, graduating college seniors on Reddit began reporting that they had incurred fraudulent credit and debit card charges as a result of renting graduation caps and gowns from Herff Jones, the class action lawsuit explains, adding that the rentals were the students’ only common charges.

On May 12, Herff Jones confirmed it had been the victim of a data breach, but has not yet provided any details on the hack, the claim states.

The students behind the class action lawsuit all used Herff Jones’ website to rent a cap and gown for their graduation ceremonies, and all subsequently faced fraudulent charges on their accounts.

Bersch used the company’s website on March 27, and on May 24 he discovered $396.49 in fraudulent charges on his bank account. Blackwood logged his personal information in the company’s site on April 15, and on May 13 discovered $255.31 in fraudulent charges on his bank account.

Walker used the site on March 31, and on May 5 discovered $229.91 in fraudulent charges on her bank account.

According to the class action lawsuit, all of the fraudulent charges were a result of the Herff Jones data breach.

To rent or purchase products on Herff Jones’ website, customers must enter their name, billing address, delivery address, email address, telephone number, name on the payment card, type of payment card, full payment card number, payment card expiration date, and security code. The claim states that at least thousands of students had all of this information stolen in the hack and subsequently sold online for “criminals to access and abuse.”

“Not only did hackers skim Herff Jones’ customers’ PII, on information and belief, the stolen names and payment card information are now for sale on the dark web,” the claim states.

“Herff Jones’ customers face a lifetime risk of identity theft.”

According to the claim, the students face lost or diminished value of their personal information; out-of-pocket expenses associated with the identity theft, tax fraud, or unauthorized use of their data; lost opportunity costs associated with attempting to mitigate the breach’s consequences; and more.

The class action lawsuit says that the students’ data will remain available on the dark web for individuals to access and abuse and it is subject to further unauthorized disclosures so long as Herff Jones fails to undertake appropriate and adequate measures to protect it.

In a May 12 statement, Herff Jones said that it “recently became aware of suspicious activity involving certain customers’ payment card information.”

“We promptly launched an investigation and engaged a leading cybersecurity firm to assist in assessing the scope of the incident. We have taken steps to mitigate the potential impact and notified law enforcement.”

The company said that it was committed to the privacy and security of its customers and during the course of its ongoing investigation it identified theft of certain customers’ payment information.

“We sincerely apologize to those impacted by this incident. We are working diligently to identify and notify impacted customers.”

The students want to represent anyone in the United States who had personal information compromised by Herff Jones, and also California, Indiana, and New York subclasses.

They are suing for negligence, breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and violation of state business laws, and seek certification of the class, order of enjoinment, damages, restitution, legal fees, and a jury trial.

In April, more than 533 million Facebook users had their phone numbers, full names, locations, email addresses, and other biographical information leaked online. The data was published in a low-level hacking forum and the users’ information is now widely and freely available.

Has your personal data ever been compromised after you entered it into a website? Let us know in the comments section!

The students are represented by Gary M. Klinger of Mason Lietz & Klinger LLP, Carl V. Malmstrom of Freeman & Herz LLC, and M. Anderson Berry of Clayeo C. Arnold, A Professional Law Corp.

The Herff Jones Data Hack Class Action Lawsuit is Ahn, et al. v. Herff Jones, LLC, Case No. 1:21-cv-01381-SEB-TAB, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana Indianapolis Division.


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37 thoughts onHerff Jones Mismanaged Graduates’ Personal Data Resulting in Huge Data Breach, Class Action Claims

  1. Geneva C Shaw says:

    I bought mine and my daughter’s graduation stuff from here

    1. Michael jimmy ray DeLao says:

      The breach that happend or the theft of my data was done by dannie lerhke and google face book stold 3 teirs of data

  2. michael bowers says:

    i uaed my debt card for my sons graduation

  3. Larisa K says:

    Hello, I received the notice, as well as fraudulent charges on the card used for my cap and gown purchases. Was not reimbursed for these charges.

  4. Leyre Salazar says:

    Add me, my credit card was compromised and I got a letter.

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