Columbus Regional Healthcare Data Breach Puts 133k Persons At Risk For Identity Theft Featured
CRHS waits eight months to notify individuals whose personal information was stolen during 2023 data breach.
What Happened?
On January 19, 2024, Columbus Regional Healthcare System (“CRHS”) filed a Notice of Data Breach with the Attorney General of Maine after discovering that threat actors removed personal information from the company’s computer network during a data breach that took place between May 19th to 21st, 2023.
What Information Was Obtained?
In the notice, CRHS explains that, after completing its review on December 28, 2023, it concluded that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access consumers’ sensitive personal information, which includes:
- names,
- Social Security numbers,
- dates of birth,
- state ID numbers,
- driver’s license numbers,
- passport numbers,
- financial account information,
- medical information, and
- health insurance information.
What Can Identity Thieves Do With My Information?
Stolen personally identifiable information (PII) can be used to commit identity theft, open new credit accounts, make unauthorized purchases or obtain loans. Cybercriminals have recently targeted America’s healthcare industry and in so doing have forced millions of Americans to face the fallout from these attacks.
Leaked or stolen healthcare data can be sold on the dark web forums and may be used for fraud and medical identity theft, a type of fraud, where threat actors use stolen information to submit forged claims to insurers.
What Is CRHS Doing To Protect My Identity?
CRHS announced in its data breach notification letter that it is offering affected individuals 12 months of identity theft protection, credit monitoring and identity restoration services.
If you received a data breach notification from Columbus Regional Healthcare System, it is essential you understand what is at risk and what you can do about it. A data breach lawyer can help you learn more about how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, as well as discuss your legal options following the data breach.
It is critical to begin to take the next steps after a data breach targets your personal data. You may contact a data privacy lawyer to learn about how to protect your accounts, and how to file a class action data breach lawsuit. By filing a claim, you can recover compensation and hold any negligent party accountable for their action or inaction. There is no cost to you.