Posted On August 12, 2022 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
August 12, 2022 – United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley reported a data breach after the company was targeted in a recent cybersecurity attack. As a result of the breach, the name, Social Security number and medical record number of certain individuals was compromised. On August 12, 2022, United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley sent out data breach letters to those individuals whose information was affected by the breach.
The data breach lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. are going to begin interviewing victims of the breach to determine what damages they sustained and what legal claims may be available to them. If you recently received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH from United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley, contact us at (866) 778-5500 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential contact form for a free case evaluation.
Below is a portion of the letter that United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley sent to individuals affected by the data breach:
Dear [Redacted],
United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley (“UHC”) is writing to notify you of an event that may affect your information. This letter provides information about the event, our response, and the resources we are making available to you to help protect your information, should you feel it appropriate to do so.
What Happened? On August 28, 2021, UHC experienced technical difficulties resulting in a disruption to certain computer systems. UHC promptly took steps to secure our systems and commenced an investigation into the nature and scope of the incident. UHC’s investigation determined that the disruption was caused by an encryption event. UHC worked expeditiously to restore our systems to avoid an interruption to patient care.
On September 22, 2021, UHC discovered that certain UHC-related data had been compromised. UHC immediately undertook a further investigation, with the assistance of third-party specialists, to confirm the scope of the incident. The investigation determined that certain UHC-related data was compromised between August 24, 2021 and August 28, 2021. With the assistance of third-party subject matter specialists, we then undertook a diligent and thorough review of the impacted documents to determine what information these documents contained and to whom that information related. We completed this review on April 11, 2022, and then worked expeditiously to provide notice to those patients whose information was found within the documents.
What Information Was Involved? Our investigation determined that your name and social security number and medical record number were present within the impacted documents.
What We Are Doing. The confidentiality, privacy and security of information within our care are among UHC’s highest priorities. We moved quickly to investigate and identify any impacted information. We have notified federal law enforcement, as well as appropriate regulatory authorities and are notifying affected individuals, including you, to provide information on steps you can take to protect your information.
As an added precaution, we are offering you access to complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services for one (1) year through Equifax. If you wish to activate the services, you may follow the instructions included in the Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Personal Information.
What You Can Do. We encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your account statements, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. We also recommend you review the Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Personal Information section of this letter. You can also enroll to receive the complimentary credit monitoring and identity restoration services through Equifax.
For More Information. We understand that you may have questions about this incident that are not addressed in this notice. If you have additional questions or concerns, please call our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-877-354-3821. This toll free line is available Monday – Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CST. You may also write to UHC at 3875 West Beechwood Avenue, Fresno, California 93722.
We sincerely regret any inconvenience this event may cause you. We appreciate your trust in us and remain committed to safeguarding the information in our care.
