Posted On May 3, 2023 Consumer Privacy & Data Breaches
May 3 – On May 1, 2023, UnitedHealthCare Services, Inc. (UnitedHealthCare) announced that it had discovered suspicious behavior on its computer network that might have resulted in the leak of member information, prompting concerns of a data breach. UnitedHealthCare has not disclosed what kinds of data were compromised since the investigation into the issue is ongoing. The UnitedHealthCare hack may be substantial, though, due to the abundance of personal consumer data that the organization possesses. UnitedHealthCare will begin sending data breach notification letters to all affected consumers as soon as the business determines whether customer data was compromised in the breach.
The importance of knowing what is at stake following a data breach report cannot be overstated. Console & Associates, P.C., data breach lawyers, are now looking into the UnitedHealthCare data breach on behalf of people whose information was compromised. We are offering free consultations to anyone who has been affected by this breach and wants to learn more about the risks of identity theft, what they can do to protect themselves, and what legal options they may have to obtain compensation from UnitedHealthCare Services as part of our investigation.
UnitedHealthCare Services, Inc. specializes in offering group and individual medical insurance plans and has one of the largest provider networks in the country. The company’s headquarters may be in Minnetonka, Minnesota, but it currently covers 6,500 hospitals and other healthcare institutions and employs 1,300 providers. UnitedHealthCare began operations in 1974, and today it employs more than 125,000 people and has annual sales of over $257 billion.
Reports state that UnitedHealthCare was the target of a cyberattack between February 19 and February 25. UnitedHealthCare has launched an investigation into the incident to discover what, if any, customer data was compromised. The business has not yet revealed how or when it learned of the breach.
On April 10, 2023, the corporation revealed that certain member information may have been exposed to hackers. According to early reports, the data may contain consumers’ first and last names, residences, identification numbers, names of providers, identification numbers of health insurance members, names and numbers of groups, and claim information.
UnitedHealthCare will begin delivering data breach letters to all affected individuals as soon as it learns whose information was stolen in the leak.
More than 420 million individuals in 2022 were affected by data breaches. More than ever before in a single year. While most people have heard of a data breach, few realize the extent to which identity theft can disrupt their lives. However, given the prevalence of data breaches, it is crucial for all consumers to learn how to protect themselves in the event that they, too, fall victim to a data breach.
From the standpoint of the hacker, the purpose of a data breach is to get personal information that may be exploited for identity theft or sold on the dark web for a profit. Consumers can’t stop data breaches from happening, but they may take measures to protect themselves against fraud and identity theft.
The following is not an all-inclusive list of things to do after discovering a data breach. If your financial account details or Social Security number were compromised, for instance, you may want to take extra safety measures.
Many businesses provide a service called credit monitoring following a data breach, which notifies you of any unusual activity on your credit report. Consumers should typically expect to pay $20 to $40 monthly for credit monitoring services. The good news is that victims of data breaches generally receive free credit monitoring from organizations for an extended period of time (often between one and two years). The consumers whose information was compromised will receive free credit monitoring from UnitedHealthCare for a full two years. Credit monitoring services are available for no cost and make it simple to keep an eye on your credit profile, but they may require your credit card data, and you should be wary of automatic renewals. Taking advantage of a firm’s offer of free credit monitoring does not, however, waive your ability to sue that organization for negligence resulting in a data breach.
All three major credit bureaus allow consumers to place a free fraud alert or credit freeze. If you suspect that someone is using your personal information without your permission, you can issue a fraud alert to warn businesses that check credit. With a credit freeze in place, no one may access your credit report without your express permission. The Identity Theft Resource Center recommends a credit freeze as the best approach to protect yourself against identity theft following a data breach.
If your personal information was compromised in a data breach, you should immediately change your passwords for all of your online accounts. It’s tempting to just update the compromised accounts’ passwords, but hackers who get access to your social network or online store accounts may be able to access other sensitive information about you as well.
When hackers steal sensitive information, they typically rush to exploit it before the victim has a chance to delete the account. However, depending on the nature of the breach, hackers may require additional details in order to complete their criminal objectives. Sometimes it takes time for hackers to be able to exploit stolen information, even after a breach has occurred. By this point, consumers have typically lowered their guard, making them an easy target for hackers. As a result, you should monitor your accounts sometimes for a few months following a hack.
When a company suffers a data breach, it will send you a letter explaining what happened. UnitedHealthCare has not started sending out breach notification letters yet, but it will once it receives more information. These letters typically give details about the incident, what led up to it, what the firm has done to avoid future breaches, and whether or not the company has received any more allegations of fraud or identity theft from victims. As a result, the first step is to examine the data breach notification thoroughly to ascertain whether or not your information was exposed and, if so, in what ways.
The consumer privacy lawyers at Console & Associates, P.C. help customers affected by data and security breaches pursue legal solutions by offering free consultations. By explaining your rights in clear, concise terms, we help you make an informed decision about your next steps. If you are a victim of the UnitedHealthCare Services, Inc. data breach, Console & Associates, P.C. will investigate at no charge to you and offer advice on how to proceed. If you decide to pursue a case, rest assured that we don’t get paid unless you do. If your claim is successful, legal fees are either paid out of the funds recovered or by the defendant. If your claim is not successful, you pay nothing.
To schedule your free consultation, just call (866) 778-5500 today or fill out our secure contact form.
