William C. Smith & Company Data Breach Exposes Sensitive Personal Information
Washington, D.C.-based real estate firm William C. Smith and Company (WC Smith) disclosed a data breach after detecting suspicious activity on its network on May 18, 2025. An investigation revealed that an unauthorized actor accessed and exfiltrated files containing personally identifiable information (PII) between May 5 and May 18, 2025.
WC Smith, founded in 1968, employs nearly 500 people and operates in the Washington metropolitan area, offering real estate, construction, and electrical services. The breach impacted an undetermined number of individuals, though at least three Maine residents were confirmed affected, according to a filing with the Maine Attorney General.
Affected individuals were notified via written letters on January 12, 2026, nearly eight months after the incident. The exposed data includes names and Social Security numbers, heightening risks of identity theft and fraud. WC Smith reported the breach to federal law enforcement and state regulators and is offering 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring through Experian to impacted parties.
Class action law firm Shamis & Gentile P.A. is investigating potential legal action on behalf of those affected, citing possible compensation for damages resulting from the breach. The firm is currently reviewing claims to determine eligibility for a class action lawsuit.
Source: https://www.claimdepot.com/investigations/wcs-construction-data-breach-2026
W.C. Smith Wholesale Distributor Inc. cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/wcsmith
"id": "WCS1768336289",
"linkid": "wcsmith",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "5/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'At least 3 Maine residents '
'(exact number undetermined)',
'industry': 'Real Estate',
'location': 'Washington, DC',
'name': 'William C. Smith and Company',
'size': 'Nearly 500 employees',
'type': 'Real Estate Firm'}],
'customer_advisories': 'Written notices sent to affected individuals on Jan. '
'12, 2026',
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': True,
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'High',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['Names',
'Social Security numbers']},
'date_detected': '2025-05-18',
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2026-01-12',
'description': 'Shamis & Gentile P.A. is investigating the William C. Smith '
'and Company data breach. Affected individuals may have had '
'their sensitive personally identifiable information exposed '
'and may be eligible for compensation.',
'impact': {'data_compromised': 'Sensitive personally identifiable information',
'identity_theft_risk': 'High',
'systems_affected': 'Certain computer network systems'},
'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
'recommendations': ['Review account statements and credit reports regularly '
'for unauthorized activity',
'Place a fraud alert or credit freeze on your credit file '
'with major credit bureaus',
'Report suspected identity theft or fraud to banks, '
'credit card companies, and law enforcement',
'File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission if '
'information is misused',
'Obtain a free credit report annually from each of the '
'three major credit bureaus',
'Enroll in complimentary credit monitoring services '
'offered by the company'],
'references': [{'source': 'Maine Attorney General'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'regulatory_notifications': 'State regulators and '
'Maine Attorney '
'General'},
'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Written notices sent to affected '
'individuals',
'containment_measures': 'Isolated affected systems',
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'law_enforcement_notified': True,
'third_party_assistance': 'Third-party specialists'},
'threat_actor': 'Unauthorized actor',
'title': 'William C. Smith and Company Data Breach',
'type': 'Data Breach'}