Posted On October 7, 2022 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
On October 6, 2022, Amerigroup Insurance Company reported a data breach with the Texas Attorney General after sensitive information entrusted to the company was discovered to have been accessible to an unauthorized party. Based on the company’s official filing, the incident resulted in an unauthorized party gaining access to consumers’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and health insurance information. After confirming that consumer data was leaked, Amerigroup began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals who were impacted by the recent data security incident.
If you received a data breach notification, it is essential you understand what is at risk. The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are actively investigating the Amerigroup data breach on behalf of people whose information was exposed. As a part of this investigation, we are providing free consultations to anyone affected by the breach who is interested in learning more about the risks of identity theft, what they can do to protect themselves, and what their legal options may be to obtain compensation from Amerigroup Insurance Company.
The available information regarding the Amerigroup Insurance Corp. breach comes from the company’s filing with the Texas Attorney General. However, the company has not yet publicly posted the data breach letters it sent to victims of the breach, nor has it posted notice of the incident on its website. As a result, the available information about the breach is sparse.
However, according to the Texas AG’s “Data Security Breach Reports” page, the incident impacted the names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and health insurance information of affected individuals. Further, Amerigroup estimates that the recent data breach affected 1,189 people in Texas alone. Because the company operates throughout the country, it is very likely that the total number of U.S. victims is significantly higher.
On October 6, 2022, Amerigroup Insurance Corp. sent out data breach letters to all individuals whose information was compromised as a result of the recent data security incident.
Founded in 1994 as AMERICAID, Amerigroup Insurance Company is one of the largest insurance companies in the United States and the largest provider of healthcare for public programs. Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Amerigroup provides insurance coverage for seniors, people with disabilities, low-income families, government employees, and others through Medicare, Medicaid, and various other state and federal insurance programs. Amerigroup Insurance Corp. employs more than 13,728 people and generates approximately $4 billion in annual revenue.
Data breaches continue to occur at an alarming—and unprecedented—rate. In fact, in 2021 alone, there were more than 320 million victims of data breaches. Given the frequency with which these breaches occur and the life-interrupting harms that can follow in their wake, it is important that you know what to do in the event your information is leaked in a data breach.
While there are many risks associated with a data breach, perhaps the most common is that a hacker steals your identity or sells your stolen information to another criminal on the dark web. Of course, there is nothing you can do to prevent a data breach; however, how you respond to the breach may have a major impact on the severity of the repercussions you face as a result. Below is a list of some of the things you should do after a data breach. Keep in mind, however, that this should not be seen as an exhaustive list, especially if a breach involves highly sensitive information such as your financial account numbers or Social Security number.
The first thing to do after receiving a data breach letter is to carefully review the document to determine what information was compromised. The letter will also contain important information about how an unauthorized party was able to access your information, what the company has done since then, and whether the company has received any reports of identity theft or fraud from other victims.
As a general rule, hackers will use any stolen information as quickly as possible, usually by opening up new loans or credit cards. This is because hackers want to turn a quick dollar before victims have the chance to close their accounts or prevent unauthorized access. However, hackers might not always be able to immediately carry out their crimes; they may need additional information, which can take time to acquire. Thus, it is imperative that you diligently check your online bank and credit card accounts, as well as your credit report. This includes checking accounts that were not compromised in the breach.
Credit monitoring is a service that alerts you to any suspicious activity related to your credit account. This service typically costs between $20 and $40 per month. However, companies almost always offer victims of a data breach free credit monitoring for a period of time—usually between one to two years. Signing up for credit monitoring is free and provides you with an easy way to keep tabs on your credit. Further, signing up for free credit monitoring doesn’t impact your rights to bring a data breach lawsuit against the company that leaked your information if the company was negligent leading up to the breach.
Fraud alerts and credit freezes are two free services offered by all three of the major credit bureaus. A fraud alert puts companies that pull your credit on notice that there is reason to believe that someone may be fraudulently using your information. A credit freeze offers additional protection by preventing any company from pulling your credit without your advance approval. The Identity Theft Resource Center has repeatedly explained that placing a credit freeze on your credit account is the single best way to prevent fraud after a data breach.
At Console & Associates, P.C., our consumer privacy lawyers monitor all security and data breaches to help affected consumers pursue their legal remedies. We offer free consultations to victims of data breaches and can explain your rights in clear, understandable terms so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed with your case. If you’ve been affected by the Amerigroup data breach or any other data security incident, Console & Associates, P.C., will investigate your case at no charge and offer you thorough advice about how to most effectively proceed with your case. If you decide to bring a case, we only get paid if you do. If your claim is successful, any legal fees are either paid by the defendant or come out of the funds recovered from the defendant. If your claim doesn’t result in a recovery, you will pay nothing.
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