[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Upper Frederick 4-9-2009 by Res. No. 2009-07. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Officers and employees — See Ch. 29.
Public records — See Ch. 48.
The risk to the Township, its employees and customers from data loss and identity theft is of significant concern to the Township and can be reduced only through the combined efforts of every employee and contractor.
A. 
The Township adopts this sensitive information policy to help protect employees, customers, contractors and the Township from damages related to the loss or misuse of sensitive information.
B. 
This policy will:
(1) 
Define sensitive information;
(2) 
Describe the physical security of data when it is printed on paper;
(3) 
Describe the electronic security of data when stored and distributed; and
(4) 
Place the Township in compliance with state and federal law regarding identity theft protection.
C. 
This policy enables the Township to protect existing customers, reducing risk from identity fraud, and minimizes potential damage to the Township from fraudulent new accounts. The program will help the Township:
(1) 
Identify risks that signify potentially fraudulent activity within new or existing covered accounts;
(2) 
Detect risks when they occur in covered accounts;
(3) 
Respond to risks to determine if fraudulent activity has occurred, and act if fraud has been attempted or committed; and
(4) 
Update the program periodically, including reviewing the accounts that are covered and the identified risks that are part of the program.
This policy, and the subsequent protection program authorized by the Township, applies to employees, contractors, consultants, temporary workers and other workers at the Township, including all personnel affiliated with third parties.
Sensitive information policy:
A. 
Definition of "sensitive information." Sensitive information includes the following items, whether stored in electronic or printed format:
(1) 
Credit card information, including any of the following:
(a) 
Credit card number (in part or whole).
(b) 
Credit card expiration date.
(c) 
Cardholder name.
(d) 
Cardholder address.
(2) 
Tax identification numbers, including:
(a) 
Social security number.
(b) 
Business identification number.
(c) 
Employer identification numbers.
(3) 
Payroll information, including, among other information:
(a) 
Paychecks.
(b) 
Pay stubs.
(4) 
Cafeteria plan check requests and associated paperwork.
(5) 
Medical information for any employee or customer, including, but not limited to:
(a) 
Doctor names and claims.
(b) 
Insurance claims.
(c) 
Prescriptions.
(d) 
Any related personal medical information.
(6) 
Other personal information belonging to any customer, employee or contractor, examples of which include:
(a) 
Date of birth.
(b) 
Address.
(c) 
Phone numbers.
(d) 
Maiden name.
(e) 
Names.
(f) 
Customer number.
(7) 
Township personnel are encouraged to use common sense judgment in securing confidential information to the proper extent. Furthermore, this section should be read in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Open Records Act and the Township's open records policy. If an employee is uncertain of the sensitivity of a particular piece of information, he/she should contact his/her supervisor.
B. 
Hard copy distribution. Each employee and contractor performing work for the Township will comply with the following policies:
(1) 
File cabinets, desk drawers, overhead cabinets, and any other storage space containing documents with sensitive information will be locked when not in use.
(2) 
Storage rooms containing documents with sensitive information and record retention areas will be locked at the end of each workday or when unsupervised.
(3) 
Desks, workstations, work areas, printers and fax machines, and common shared, work areas will be cleared of all documents containing sensitive information when not in use.
(4) 
Whiteboards, dry-erase boards, writing tablets, etc., in common shared work areas will be erased, removed or shredded when not in use.
(5) 
When documents containing sensitive information are discarded, they will be placed inside a locked shred bin or immediately shredded using a mechanical crosscut or Department of Defense (DOD) approved shredding device. Locked shred bins are labeled "Confidential Paper Shredding and Recycling." Township records, however, may only be destroyed in accordance with the Township's records retention policy.
C. 
Electronic distribution. Each employee and contractor performing work for the Township will comply with the following policies:
(1) 
Internally, sensitive information may be transmitted using approved municipal e-mail. All sensitive information must be encrypted when stored in an electronic format.
(2) 
Any sensitive information sent externally must be encrypted and password protected and only to approved recipients. Additionally, a statement such as this should be included in the e-mail:
"This message may contain confidential and/or proprietary information and is intended for the person/entity to whom it was originally addressed. Any use by others is strictly prohibited."
A. 
Red flags. Possible sources used for detecting red flags include:
(1) 
Alerts, notifications or other warnings received from consumer reporting agencies or service providers, such as fraud detection services.
(2) 
Presentation of suspicious or altered documents.
(3) 
Presentation of suspicious, inconsistent or altered personal identifying information, such as a suspicious address change.
(4) 
Attempts to access an account by unauthorized users.
(5) 
Unusual use or other suspicious activity related to the covered account.
(6) 
Notice from members, victims of identity theft, law enforcement authorities or other persons regarding possible identity theft in connection with covered accounts.
B. 
Response program.
(1) 
Once potentially fraudulent activity is detected, an employee must act quickly, as a rapid appropriate response can protect customers and the Township from damages and loss.
(2) 
If a transaction is determined to be fraudulent, appropriate actions must be taken immediately. Actions may include canceling the transaction, notifying and cooperating with law enforcement, determining the extent of liability of the Township and notifying the actual customer that fraud has been attempted.
A. 
The policy and procedures established in the program will be reevaluated to determine whether all aspects of the program are up-to-date and applicable in the current business environment. Periodic review will include an assessment of which accounts are covered by the program.
B. 
As part of the review, red flags may be revised, replaced or eliminated. Defining new red flags may also be appropriate. Actions to take in the event that fraudulent activity is discovered may also require revision to reduce damage to the Township and its customers.
A. 
Board of Supervisors to administer. The Upper Frederick Township Board of Supervisors shall be responsible for the development, implementation, oversight and continued administration of the program. The program shall train staff, as necessary, to effectively implement the program, and the program shall exercise appropriate and effective oversight of service provider arrangements.
B. 
Oversight of the program. Oversight of the program shall include assignment of a specific responsibility for implementation of the program to Jackie Tallon, Township Manager; review of reports prepared by staff regarding compliance; and approval of material changes to the program, as necessary.
The Upper Frederick Township Board of Supervisors shall meet other applicable legal requirements, including, but not limited to, the requirement to file suspicious activity reports, the requirement under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) regarding the circumstances in which credit may be extended when the Township detects fraud or some other alert; the requirement under the FCRA for furnishers of information to credit bureaus to correct or update inaccurate or incomplete information and to not report information that is believed inaccurate; and the prohibitions under the FCRA on the sale, transfer and placement for collection of certain debts resulting from identity theft.
Township employees who use credit reporting information must implement policies and procedures designed to enable the employees to form a reasonable belief that a credit report relates to the customer about whom it has requested a report when the employee receives a notice of address discrepancy, which is a red flag. Employees must compare and verify the information in the credit report with the information that the Township obtains and uses to verify the customer's identity.
It is the responsibility of the Township to ensure that the activities of all service providers are conducted, in accordance with the reasonable policies and procedures designed to detect, prevent and mitigate the risk of identity theft.