HackingProfessional ServicesProfessional ServicesStolen CredentialsData ExfiltratedCustomer Data InvolvedIdentity (basic)Government IDFinancial accountMediumActive

Charlie’s Tax Service

bd_5925a8ba377d3891 · schema v1 · pii pii-v1

Severity

Medium

Discovered

Dec 1, 2024

Filed

Mar 7, 2025

To disclose

14 weeks

Affected

514state residents only

Linked

5 filings

Confidence

66%

Full breach record for Charlie’s Tax Service →

Charlie’s Tax Service notified the Iowa AG of unauthorized network access in December 2024. Investigation concluded Feb 25, 2025, revealing removal of names, SSNs, DOBs, and financial account info for ~514 Iowa residents. Notifications sent March 7, 2025, including credit monitoring offers.

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Leak gap clock⏱ Leak >90d14 weeks discovery → filing

⚠ occurrence dateThe stored discovery date equals the breach OCCURRENCE date. Detection is normally later, so this OVERSTATES the delay — a 'late' verdict here may not be real.

Incident timeline

discovery → filing · 14 weeks / 96 days

Dec 1, 2024

Begins

Dec 1, 2024

Discovered

Mar 7, 2025

Filed

vs. sector median

4 wks faster

This filing is one of 5 about the same incident.View merged incident

A leak claim by akira about this victim predates this filing by 93 days.View originating leak claim

Linked disclosures

Why this link?

Ransomware claims (1)

Leak Siteakirabd_c2d5635e79d197fa2024-12-04 · +93dCandidate

Regulatory filings (3) · sorted by filing gap

Nebraska State AGbd_29a45950bdd90c102025-03-07Candidate
Indiana State AGbd_797c84eaa94f0acc2025-03-07Verified
New Hampshire State AGbd_19f6054668ec5fac2025-03-18 · +11dVerified

Name: MCDONALD HOPKINS LLC
norm: mcdonald hopkins

Name: Charlie’s Tax Service
norm: charlie s tax service
Domain: charliestax.com
Industry: Professional Servicesllm

Discovered: Dec 1, 2024
Breach occurred: Dec 1, 2024
Undetected for: 0 daysoccurrence → discovery
Materiality determined: —
Notification sent: Mar 7, 2025
Affected individuals: 514state-resident count only
Data types: Identity (basic)Government IDFinancial account
Data elements: Date of birth
Attack vector: Unauthorized Access
MITRE ATT&CK: T1078 Valid AccountsT1041 Exfiltration Over C2 Channel
Threat actor: ExternalFinancial
Regulator citations: Notified Iowa Attorney General Consumer Protection Division
Initial access: valid_credentials

During the incident: Launched an investigation in consultation with outside cybersecurity professionals
Providing the affected residents with written notification
Offering the affected residents complimentary memberships with a credit monitoring service
Advising the affected residents about the process for placing fraud alerts and/or security freezes on their credit files
Changes made: Continually evaluates and modifies its practices and internal controls to enhance the security and privacy of personal information
Source: Quoted from the filing itself, not independently verified.

Time to disclose: 14 weeks(96 days from discovery to filing)
Compliance flags: Leak >90dIA AG ≤5 bday
Discovery-date grounding: occurrence dateThe stored discovery date equals the breach OCCURRENCE date. Detection is normally later, so this OVERSTATES the delay — a 'late' verdict here may not be real.

Status: No extraction artifact recorded for this disclosure.

Filing propagation · 4 filings · 4 states

View merged incident ↗

Nebraska State AGMar 7 · first

Indiana State AGMar 7 · first

Iowa State AGMar 7 · first · this page

New Hampshire State AG+11d

Pattern: first filing Mar 7 (NE), last Mar 18 (NH) — a 11-day rolling notification. Rolling spreads often mean counsel is filing as thresholds trip per state. Why this link?

Evidence ladder

Leak-site claim

Attacker assertion only. Establishes: claim date, group, alleged victim.

Press / market report

Unlocks: incident narrative, operational impact. Still no compliance clock.

State AG / regulator filingThis record

Unlocks: discovery date, data types, affected count, compliance clock.

SEC 8-K / victim statement

Unlocks: materiality, stated response, full audit trail. Ceiling removed.

Source URL: https://www.iowaattorneygeneral.gov/media/cms/372025_Charlies_Tax_Service_8272FB8EBB8CE.pdf
DisclosureLens links to the originating regulator URL — full filing bodies are not redistributed from public surfaces (§4.5).
Filed at: Mar 7, 2025
Raw hash: 051495d9c51bf9fd157b410fdad9d8a1fc7457d8d7a81df0cb746b4a2e635d90

Linked disclosures

Ransomware claims (1)

Regulatory filings (3) · sorted by filing gap

Reporting entityMCDONALD HOPKINS LLC

Victim entityCharlie’s Tax Service

Incidentdiscovered Dec 1, 2024

Stated responseLaunched an investigation in consultation with outside cybersecurity professionals

ComplianceLeak >90d

Extraction provenanceno artifact recorded

Source provenancewww.iowaattorneygeneral.gov