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PHYSICIANS TO WOMEN PROVIDES NOTICE OF DATA PRIVACY EVENT
Saturday, February 3, 2024
[Roanoke, Virginia] January 26, 2024 - Physicians To Women ("PTOW"), a division of Mid-Atlantic Women's Care, PLC ("MAWC") is providing notice of an event that impacted the privacy of certain individuals' personal information. PTOW and MAWC take this incident very seriously and are providing information about the incident and resources available to individuals to help protect their information, should they feel it appropriate to do so.
What Happened? On or around April 4, 2023, MAWC was notified of suspicious activity within PTOW's network. In response, an investigation into the nature and scope of the event was immediately initiated with the assistance of third-party computer forensic specialists. The investigation determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to certain systems in PTOW's network and acquired certain files from those systems on April 4, 2023. PTOW and MAWC identified the affected files and conducted a comprehensive and time-consuming review of the files to identify the type of information contained therein, and to whom the information relates. On July 5, 2023, PTOW and MAWC completed the extensive review process and identified that information pertaining to certain current and former patients and/or their guarantor(s) was present in the affected files. Since then, PTOW and MAWC have been performing additional work to review and verify the affected information as well as locate address information in order to provide direct notice to as many impacted individuals as possible.
What Information Was Involved? The specific information at issue varies for each person but includes one or more of the following: name, Social Security number, date of birth, medical/health information, taxpayer identification number, and contact information. Please note that MAWC and PTOW are not aware of any actual or attempted fraudulent misuse of personal information as a result of this incident.
What We Are Doing. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of personal information within its care is among PTOW's highest priorities and it has strict security measures in place to protect information in its care. Upon becoming aware of this incident, MAWC and PTOW immediately took steps to secure its systems and performed a thorough investigation. Federal law enforcement and applicable regulators have been notified of this incident, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? MAWC and PTOW mailed a notice letter to individuals whose information was determined to be in the affected files for whom they have a valid mailing address. If an individual does not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call the dedicated assistance line provided below.
What You Can Do. Potentially affected individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits forms, and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Under U.S. law individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report, place a fraud alert, or a security freeze. Contact information for the credit bureaus is below:
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 1-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 may need to provide the following information, depending on whether the request is made online, by phone, or by mail:
1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone
bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state
driver's license or ID card, etc.); and
7. 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
1-888-298-0045
1-888-397-3742
1-800-916-8800
Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester,
TX 75013 PA 19016
Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn,
TX 75013 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.
For More Information. If individuals have questions or would like additional information, please call PTOW's dedicated assistance line at 888-814-2208 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding all major U.S. holidays.
MEDIA CONTACT: Rebecca Jones, (267) 930-4839
/PRNewswire -- 26 Jan. 2024/
SOURCE Unified Women's Healthcare
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