Mar 22, 2024   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

Human Development Services of Westchester, Inc. Notice of Privacy Incident

March 22, 2024

MAMARONECK, N.Y.

Human Development Services of Westchester, Inc. ("HDSW") is providing notification of a recent data security event that may have impacted certain patient information. On August 2, 2023, HDSW discovered suspicious activity related to a single employee email account and immediately began an investigation with the assistance of third-party computer forensic specialists. A thorough investigation determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to one employee email account for a limited period of time. The types of data contained in the account related to HDSW clients may have included name, date of birth, Social Security number, medical record information, treatment and diagnosis information, and health insurance information. In response to the incident, HDSW worked with third-party computer forensic specialists to secure its environment and is reviewing its policies and procedures related to data protection.

HDSW is providing written notice via US Mail to impacted individuals with additional details. As an additional precaution, HDSW is offering impacted individuals access to credit monitoring and identity protection services. If individuals have questions about this incident, they may contact a dedicated assistance line at 866-495-7445, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. CT (excluding major U.S. holidays). Additionally, it is always prudent to review healthcare statements for accuracy and report any services or charges that were not incurred to the provider or insurance carrier. As a best practice, individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements 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, TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228.

Individuals have the right to place an initial or extended "fraud alert" on a credit file at no cost. If individuals are a victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert lasting seven years. As an alternative to a fraud alert, they have the right to place a "credit freeze" on a credit report. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved without consent. Pursuant to federal law, individuals cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report.

Should individuals wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

     
     TransUnion        
     Experian        
     Equifax


     
     1-800-680-7289    
     1-888-397-3742    1-888-298-0045


     
     transunion.com    
     experian.com      equifax.com


     
     P.O. Box 2000     
     P.O. Box 9554     P.O. Box 105069


     
     Chester, PA 19016 
     Allen, TX 75013   Atlanta, GA 30348

Individuals can further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps to protect their personal information by contacting the credit reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), or their state Attorney General. The FTC also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. The FTC may be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement, the state Attorney General, and the FTC. Español - Si necesita más información traducida al Español, por favor llámenos al (888) 220-5301.

/PRNewswire -- March 22, 2024/

SOURCE Human Development Services of Westchester, Inc.