Optima Tax Relief, LLC has notified affected individuals that it detected unusual activity on its network on May 1, 2025. The company says it immediately took steps to secure its systems and brought in independent forensic investigators, who determined that an unauthorized person had accessed the network between May 1 and May 6, 2025, and downloaded copies of certain files. This falls under hacking or system intrusion, meaning someone gained unauthorized entry into Optima’s own systems rather than a vendor’s. It wasn’t until October 10, 2025 that Optima finished reviewing the downloaded files and confirmed that some of them contained recipients’ personal information.
The letter is addressed to individuals whose files were found to contain their personal data as a result of this incident. The notification template does not state an overall number of people affected, though a state-specific note confirms at least 8 residents of Rhode Island were among those notified.
What information was exposed?
- The notification letter’s data-elements section was left as a placeholder and does not spell out the specific categories of information involved for each recipient.
- Optima is offering credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration through Kroll, which typically signals that sensitive identifiers such as Social Security numbers or financial account details may have been part of the exposed files — though this is not stated outright in the letter itself.
Optima is offering affected individuals free identity monitoring services through Kroll, covering single-bureau credit monitoring, fraud consultation, and identity theft restoration, at no cost. To activate, visit https://enroll.krollmonitoring.com using the membership number printed on your individual letter; the letter references an activation deadline specific to each recipient, but that exact date was not filled in on the template version reviewed here — check your own copy for the deadline that applies to you.
What should you do now?
- Activate the free Kroll identity monitoring using the membership number in your letter before the stated deadline, since it costs you nothing and can flag new accounts opened in your name.
- Review your bank and credit card statements, as well as your free annual credit reports from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, for any activity you don’t recognize over the next 12 to 24 months.
- Consider placing a fraud alert or a full credit freeze on your credit files at all three bureaus — a freeze is free and makes it much harder for anyone to open new credit in your name.
- Because this is a tax-related firm, keep an eye out for suspicious tax filings or IRS notices in addition to normal financial account monitoring.
- For ongoing peace of mind, consider signing up for a service like Aura or LifeLock, which can alert you if your information appears elsewhere or is being misused.
- If you spot signs of fraud, file a report with local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission at identitytheft.gov, and keep a copy for your records.
If you have questions, Optima Tax Relief can be reached at (866) 559-4503 (Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–6:30 pm ET) regarding the Kroll offer, or directly at (800) 536-0734.