The California Franchise Tax Board (FTB) says a programming issue caused it to send an Order to Withhold Notice to a third-party payor in error. This wasn’t a hack or a break-in to FTB’s systems — it was an accidental disclosure, meaning a document meant for internal or authorized use was routed to the wrong recipient. FTB discovered the mistake on April 25, 2025, and says it has since fixed the underlying programming issue and instructed the third-party payor who received the notice to destroy it.
This notice was sent to a specific individual whose Order to Withhold Notice was involved in the mix-up. FTB has not stated how many other people, if any, were affected by the same programming issue, so it’s not clear whether this was an isolated incident affecting one person or part of a larger pattern.
What information was exposed?
- Full name
- Address
- Social Security number
FTB is offering free credit and identity theft monitoring through ID Experts for 12 months. To enroll, contact FTB to request an enrollment code — the service must be initiated within 120 days from the notice date of 06/23/2025, and it runs for 12 months once activated.
What should you do now?
- Enroll in the free ID Experts monitoring FTB is offering, using an enrollment code you request directly from FTB, before the 120-day window closes.
- Because your Social Security number was involved, consider placing a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) as soon as possible.
- Watch your credit reports and any notices from the IRS or state tax agencies closely for signs someone is filing under your name or opening accounts in it.
- Consider signing up for a service like Aura or LifeLock, which can alert you if your information appears elsewhere, including on sites that trade in stolen personal data.
- Review the California Attorney General’s Breach Help: Tips for Consumers guide for additional steps on protecting your identity after an SSN exposure.
- Keep any correspondence from FTB about this incident in case you need it to dispute fraudulent activity later.
If you have questions, the Franchise Tax Board can be reached at 800.689.4776 (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or directly through Anastasia Isborn at (916) 845-0222 or Kasia Killgore at (916) 845-3134, or by mail at Franchise Tax Board, Disclosure Office MS A-181, P.O. Box 1468, Sacramento, CA 95812-1468.