(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and health insurance company BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee today warned consumers about a hard drive theft believed to have put the personal information of some BlueCross members at risk. The affected individuals include more than 860 Ohioans. Cordray is advising those who are affected to closely monitor their credit reports and various financial accounts.
“When consumers’ personal information is compromised, it doesn’t necessarily mean they will become victims of identity theft,” Cordray said. “But they certainly should take extra precautions, such as carefully monitoring their credit reports and bank and credit accounts.”
BlueCross is working with a data security consultant to send notification letters to all BlueCross members whose information was stored on the stolen devices. Updates about the data breach are available on the BlueCross Web site, www.bcbst.com, or from the BlueCross Eastgate Response Customer Call Center at (888) 422-2786.
The theft occurred Friday, Oct. 2 at a former BlueCross call center in Chattanooga, Tenn. BlueCross has been working since that time to identify the affected individuals. According to BlueCross, the stolen items included 57 hard drives containing data that were encoded but not encrypted. The data contained information about some BlueCross members, including their names, identification numbers and, in some but not all cases, a diagnosis, date of birth and/or a Social Security number.
To protect their information, Attorney General Cordray said consumers should check each of their three credit reports for free once a year at www.AnnualCreditReport.com. They also can place a freeze on their personal credit with each credit reporting agency for $5 per report. Additionally, consumers should carefully monitor their credit card statements and bank account information.
If identity theft occurs, the victim should file a police report and apply for the Attorney General’s Identity Theft Verification Passport Program. This program helps victims verify their identities to law enforcement, correct fraudulent charges and repair any damage to their credit history.
To view the notification information BlueCross sent to the Attorney General, go to www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/BlueCrossLetter. To read a news release about the data breach issued by BlueCross today, go to www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/BlueCrossRelease.
For more information on identity theft precautions, contact Attorney General Cordray’s office at www.SpeakOutOhio.gov or (800) 282-0515.
Media Contacts:
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Ted Hart: (614) 728-4127
cell: (614) 743-2286