GeoSouthern Energy Corporation and GEP Haynesville Provides Notice of Data Events

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GeoSouthern Energy Corporation and GEP Haynesville II, LLC (collectively "GeoSouthern"), provide notice of a data event. Both entities are petroleum and natural gas exploration and production companies. This notice provides information about the event, GeoSouthern's response, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information from possible misuse, should they feel it appropriate to do so.

On December 21, 2022, GeoSouthern became aware of suspicious activity on its network environment and promptly began a forensic investigation into the scope and nature of this activity. The investigation determined that there was unauthorized access to certain systems between December 15, 2022 and December 21, 2022. GeoSouthern's comprehensive forensic investigation ascertained sufficient information regarding the information at risk and the residency of potentially affected individuals on May 25, 2023. The information at risk relates to individuals who either were or are employees of GeoSouthern, their dependents, and/or one of its related entities, or gave information to GeoSouthern, and/or one of its related entities, regarding their ownership of real property and any payments related thereto.

The investigation identified the following information related to potentially affected individuals in connection with this event may include one or more of the following data elements: name, Social Security number, driver's license number, state identification card number, passport information, financial account information, tax payer ID, medical information, health insurance information, and date of birth.

GeoSouthern treats its responsibility to safeguard the information in its possession as an utmost priority. As such, GeoSouthern responded quickly to this event and has been working diligently to provide accurate and complete notice of the event. GeoSouthern's response to this event also included prompt reporting to federal law enforcement. Further, as part of its ongoing commitment to the privacy and security of personal information in its care, GeoSouthern is instituting additional technical safeguards and policies and procedures to reduce the likelihood of a similar event in the future. Finally, GeoSouthern is also notifying requisite regulatory authorities.

GeoSouthern has established a dedicated call center, at 833-559-2818, which is available from Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 8 p.m., Eastern Time (excluding major U.S. holidays).

GeoSouthern encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors.

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

SOURCE GeoSouthern Energy Corporation