Understanding your City of Hayward data breach notification letter

What to do after the letter

1. Confirm the notice is genuine

   A legitimate City of Hayward notice references the specific incident reported to the MD Attorney General and describes which categories of your information were involved. Compare the letter against the public filing before acting on any links or phone numbers it contains.

2. Keep the letter — it is your proof of connection

   The notification letter is the document that ties your personal information to this incident. Keep the original and photograph it. If you later request a case review, this letter is the strongest evidence that you were among the affected individuals.

3. Protect your accounts and credit

   Depending on what was exposed, consider a free credit freeze with all three bureaus, new passwords for reused credentials, and monitoring of financial statements. These steps are free and do not require you to wait for anyone's permission.

4. Check the record against the public filing

   You can verify the City of Hayward incident against the filing reported to the MD Attorney General. This registry summarizes what was filed; it does not provide legal advice.