BGRS and SIRVA Canada privacy breach

December 20, 2023 - Defence Stories

Defence Team members,

For those who are potentially affected by the BGRS and SIRVA Canada privacy breach, here are the latest updates on this matter.

Credit Monitoring

The Government of Canada has begun offering credit monitoring, dark web monitoring, and identity theft protection insurance to current and former members who may have been impacted by this recent breach.

Given the significant number of Defence Team members who have relocated, access to these services will be rolled out in waves. In each wave, members will receive an email from breach-atteinte@notification.canada.ca containing a unique access code and link enabling them to enrol in privacy protection by Equifax for one year. These codes are valid for three months from the time they are sent.

Wave 1: Individuals whose Forces.gc.ca email accounts were identified in the breach by the RCMP. These members are being contacted through their Forces.gc.ca email accounts. This is a precautionary measure and does not confirm that those being offered Equifax services have had their personal information compromised.

Wave 2: Current and former Defence Team members who have moved with BGRS/SIRVA Canada in the last five years. These current and former Defence Team members will be contacted via the email with which they registered with BGRS. This is a precautionary measure and does not confirm that those being offered Equifax services have had their personal information compromised.

Additional Credit Monitoring Service waves: The Government of Canada continues to work with the company to determine how best to support Defence Team members and other employees of the Government of Canada. Details on any subsequent waves will be made available at a later date. 

Reissuing Passports

Individuals whose valid passport information has been identified as compromised as a result of this breach will be contacted directly. Passports will be reissued, free of charge. Please do not go to a Passport Canada office to seek a replacement passport if you have not been directed to do so. Questions regarding regular passports can be directed to the passport program. For Diplomatic or other special passports, questions can be directed to the official travel contact.

Next Steps

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is the lead Government of Canada organization for this matter and continues to work with departmental contracting authorities, chief security officers, privacy coordinators, and relocation service coordinators in the investigation of this privacy breach involving BGRS and SIRVA Canada. While they are currently notifying specific individuals identified in the data, further communication with Defence Team members will be forthcoming.

In the meantime, information on this matter is also available at the dedicated webpage at Canada.ca or by contacting your DND/CAF relocation team.