SOUTH FLORIDA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NETWORK PROVIDES UPDATED NOTICE OF DATA SECURITY EVENT

MIAMI, Florida, May 24, 2024: South Florida Behavioral Health Network ("SFBHN") dba Thriving Mind South Florida is updating its previous notice of a recent data security event provided in September 2023 to include additional information determined to be impacted by this event.

SFBHN provides management services to the network of providers offering care to individuals with substance abuse and mental health disorders in Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. SFBHN takes the security of information in its care seriously, and is providing this notice to individuals to make them aware of the incident and provide information about the steps SFBHN is taking in response, and steps individuals may take to help protect personal information, should they wish to do so. Although SFBHN is currently unaware of any fraudulent misuse of any individual's information in connection with this incident, SFBHN is providing information about the incident and steps individuals may take to help protect their information, should they wish to do so.

What Happened? On August 3, 2023, SFBHN became aware of suspicious activity on certain computer systems in its environment, and immediately took steps to secure the environment and launched an investigation with third-party specialists to determine the full nature and scope of the activity. The investigation determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to its servers between August 1 and August 3, 2023, and during this time certain internal files were obtained without authorization. In response, SFBHN undertook an extensive review of the files at issue through a third-party vendor, which was completed on March 25, 2024. SFBHN has been working since this time to review and verify the information at issue and provide an accurate notice to those who were affected.

What Information Was Involved? While SFBHN is currently unaware of any misuse of information relating to this event, the data that was present within the impacted files at the time of the event may include an individual's name, Social Security number, date of birth, medical information, health insurance information, and financial information.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? SFBHN is mailing notice letters to the individuals identified as impacted by this incident, for whom it has valid mailing addresses. If an individual did not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call SFBHN's dedicated assistance line, provided below.

What Is SFBHN Doing? The privacy and security of information in its possession is one of SFBHN's highest priorities. SFBHN conducted a thorough investigation to determine the scope of the incident and worked quickly to secure its systems. SFBHN also notified federal law enforcement as well as applicable state and federal regulators. To help prevent similar future incidents, SFBHN is further enhancing its network security through the use of additional security tools and protocols.

As an added precaution SFBHN is offering impacted individuals complimentary access to credit monitoring services through CyEx. Enrollment instructions are provided in the letter mailed to impacted individuals. Individuals will need to enroll themselves in these services if they wish to do so, as SFBH is not able to activate them on an individual's behalf.

What You Can Do. SFBHN encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements and monitor free credit reports 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. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report, place a fraud alert, or a security freeze. Contact information for the credit bureaus is below:

     
              Equifax                                            
     
              Experian                    
     
              TransUnion



     https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/      
     https://www.experian.com/help/           https://www.transunion.com/credit-help



     1-888-298-0045                                                
     1-888-397-3742                         
     1-800-916-8800



     Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069     Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554,     TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000,
                                                                       Allen, TX 75013                          Chester, PA 19016



     Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788   Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554,   TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160,
                                                                       Allen, TX 75013                          Woodlyn, PA 19094

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General.

For More Information. If you have additional questions, please call SFBHN's toll-free dedicated assistance line at 1-888-498-4056. This toll-free line is available Monday - Friday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm Eastern Time (excluding major U.S. Holidays). Individuals may also write to SFBHN at 7205 NW 19th St. Ste 200, Miami, Florida, 33126-1228.

Media Contact: Rebecca Jones, 267-930-4839

/PRNewswire -- May 24, 2024/

SOURCE South Florida Behavioral Health Network ("SFBHN") dba Thriving Mind South Florida