Wakefield & Associates, LLC, a revenue cycle management firm specializing in healthcare billing and debt collection, suffered a **ransomware attack** by the Akira group. The breach, discovered on **September 24, 2025**, involved unauthorized access to files as early as **January 17, 2025**, with **13 GB of sensitive data** exfiltrated. Compromised information included **names, Social Security numbers, driver’s license/state ID numbers, financial data, health records, and collection account details**. The stolen data was later **posted on the dark web (February 11, 2025)**, raising concerns about delayed disclosure. Affected individuals face risks of **identity theft, financial fraud, and unauthorized use of personal/health information**, with potential long-term repercussions for credit and privacy. The company notified impacted parties and reported the incident to the **Maine Attorney General** (November 7, 2025). Legal investigations are underway for compensation claims.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/investigations/wakefield-associates-data-breach-2025
Wakefield & Associates, a P.C. cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/wakefield-associates-a-p-c
"id": "wak1792617110825",
"linkid": "wakefield-associates-a-p-c",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "1/2025",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"{'affected_entities': [{'industry': 'Healthcare (Medical Billing, Debt '
'Collection, Insurance Claims Processing)',
'location': {'headquarters': 'Aurora, Colorado, USA',
'offices': 'Eight nationwide locations'},
'name': 'Wakefield & Associates, LLC',
'size': '900+ employees',
'type': 'Revenue Cycle Management Company'}],
'attack_vector': 'Ransomware (Akira)',
'customer_advisories': ['Vigilance against identity theft and fraud.',
'Free credit report monitoring (Equifax, Experian, '
'TransUnion).',
'Legal rights to compensation for affected '
'individuals.'],
'data_breach': {'data_encryption': 'Yes (ransomware encryption likely)',
'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (13 GB of data claimed by Akira)',
'personally_identifiable_information': ['Names',
'Social Security '
'numbers',
'Driver’s '
'license/state ID '
'numbers',
'Financial account '
'information'],
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High (includes SSNs, driver’s '
'licenses, financial, and health data)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Personally Identifiable '
'Information (PII)',
'Financial Data',
'Health Information',
'Collection Account Data']},
'date_detected': '2025-09-24',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-11-07',
'description': 'Wakefield & Associates, LLC, a revenue cycle management '
'company specializing in healthcare and medical debt '
'collection, experienced a ransomware attack by the Akira '
"group. Unauthorized access to the company's network occurred "
'on or before January 17, 2025, exposing sensitive personally '
'identifiable information (PII) of affected individuals, '
'including names, Social Security numbers, driver’s '
'license/state ID numbers, financial information, health '
'information, and collection account details. The breach was '
'disclosed to the Maine Attorney General on November 7, 2025, '
'but the stolen data was posted on the dark web as early as '
'February 11, 2025. The company claims 13 GB of sensitive data '
'was compromised.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'High (due to delayed disclosure and '
'dark web exposure)',
'data_compromised': ['Names',
'Collection account information',
'Social Security numbers',
'Driver’s license/state identification card '
'numbers',
'Financial information',
'Health information'],
'identity_theft_risk': 'High (PII and financial data exposed)',
'legal_liabilities': 'Potential (class action lawsuits and '
'regulatory scrutiny)',
'payment_information_risk': 'High (financial information '
'compromised)'},
'initial_access_broker': {'data_sold_on_dark_web': 'Yes (posted by Akira on '
'2025-02-11)',
'high_value_targets': ['Sensitive PII',
'Financial Data',
'Health Records']},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing (class action investigation by Shamis & '
'Gentile P.A.)',
'motivation': ['Financial Gain', 'Data Theft'],
'ransomware': {'data_encryption': 'Yes',
'data_exfiltration': 'Yes (13 GB claimed)',
'ransomware_strain': 'Akira'},
'recommendations': ['Monitor account statements, credit reports, and '
'explanation of benefits for suspicious activity.',
'Place a fraud alert or credit freeze on credit files '
'(free under U.S. law).',
'File a police report if identity theft or fraud is '
'suspected.',
'Consider joining class action lawsuits for '
'compensation.'],
'references': [{'source': 'Shamis & Gentile P.A. Investigation Notice'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-11-07',
'source': 'Maine Attorney General Office Disclosure'},
{'date_accessed': '2025-02-11',
'source': 'Dark Web Posting by Akira Ransomware Group'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': 'Potential class action lawsuits '
'(investigated by Shamis & Gentile '
'P.A.)',
'regulatory_notifications': 'Maine Attorney General '
'(reported on '
'2025-11-07)'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Written notifications to affected '
'individuals',
'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes (delayed; discovered in '
'September 2025)'},
'stakeholder_advisories': 'Written notifications sent to affected individuals',
'threat_actor': 'Akira Ransomware Group',
'title': 'Wakefield & Associates, LLC Data Breach and Ransomware Attack',
'type': ['Data Breach', 'Ransomware Attack']}