Partnership HealthPlan of California Provides Notice of Data Incident

Actualizado el 19 de mayo, 2022 - 02.00hs.

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Partnership HealthPlan of California Provides Notice of Data Incident

PR Newswire

May 18

FAIRFIELD, Calif.– Partnership HealthPlan of California ("PHC") is providing notice of an incident that may affect the security of information relating to certain individuals. PHC takes this incident seriously, and is providing information about the incident, what it is doing in response, and resources that are available to help protect information from misuse.

What Happened?	On March 19, 2022, PHC identified unusual activity on its network. In response, PHC immediately began an investigation with the assistance of cybersecurity specialists. PHC has evidence that an unauthorized party accessed or took certain information from its network on or about March 19, 2022.
What Information Was Involved?	Based on the investigation into this incident, it was determined that the information involved may include certain individuals' name, Social Security number, date of birth, Driver's License number (if provided), Tribal ID number (if provided), medical record number, treatment, diagnosis, prescription and other medical information, health insurance information, member portal username and password, email address, and address.
What We Are Doing:	PHC started a thorough process to identify what information was potentially contained within the impacted files, and to whom that information belonged. That process is ongoing. While PHC has not confirmed what specific information may have been accessed or taken, because the possibility exists, PHC is now providing notice about the incident. In addition, PHC notified law enforcement, with reference number I2203221559516532, and is notifying regulatory authorities as required by law. PHC is also notifying potentially affected individuals so that they may take further steps to best protect their personal information, should they feel it is appropriate to do so. In addition, PHC has arranged to have Cyberscout, a TransUnion company, provide credit monitoring services for two years at no cost. PHC regrets that this incident occurred and has taken many steps to increase existing security and is reviewing its existing policies and procedures to identify additional safeguards which may further secure the information in its systems.
What You Can Do:	PHC encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing their account statements and monitoring their free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors over the next 12 to 24 months. Impacted individuals may also enroll in the complimentary credit monitoring services PHC is making available.
For More Information:	For more information about online protections, you may visit the Web site of the California Department of Justice, Privacy Enforcement and Protection at https://oag.ca.gov/privacy.
Agency Contact:	PHC has established a dedicated assistance line at 1-844-650-2037 from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm Pacific time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. You may also write to PHC at 4665 Business Center Drive, Fairfield, CA 94534.

Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer's credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer's credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer's identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer's express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
Social Security number;
Date of birth;
Addresses for the prior two to five years;
Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, etc.); and
A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax	Experian	TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/	https://www.experian.com/help/	https://www.transunion.com/credit-help
888-298-0045	1-888-397-3742	833-395-6938
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069	Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013	TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788	Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013	TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.

Media Contact: Dustin Lyda, 707-420-7528

/PRNewswire/ -- May 18, 2022/

SOURCE Partnership HealthPlan of California