CONE HEALTH PRACTICE NOTICE OF DATA EVENT - Alamance Skin
We are providing notice of a recent incident at Alamance Skin Center that may have impacted the personal information of certain patients. We have not received any reports of the actual or attempted misuse of patient information; however, as patient information is currently unrecoverable, we wanted to promptly notify our patients of this event.
What Happened? Alamance Skin Center, a Cone Health practice since 2017, discovered that it was the victim of a ransomware cyber-attack in late July. In response, Alamance Skin Center immediately took impacted systems offline and began an investigation with assistance from a third-party forensic firm. The incident was also reported to law enforcement.
What Information Was Involved? While the investigation did not find that patient information was compromised during the attack, on October 21, 2020 we confirmed that certain patient data is unrecoverable. As such, we chose to notify our patients in full transparency. The data in question includes patient names, medical record numbers, dates of birth, diagnosis information, addresses, and date(s) of service.
What We Are Doing? As part of Alamance Skin Center’s ongoing commitment to the security of information in its care, Alamance Skin Center will be reviewing existing policies and procedures and implementing additional safeguards to prevent unauthorized activity. Impacted patients will also receive written correspondence concerning this incident.
For More Information: If you have any questions, please call our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 855-914-4662, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Eastern Time. You may also write to Alamance Skin Center c/o Cone Health Audit and Compliance Services at 1200 North Elm Street, Greensboro, NC, 27401. Patients who have scheduled an appointment with Alamance Skin Center should call the practice to confirm the time and date of the appointment.
What Can You Do? Alamance Skin Center encourages 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. Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.
You have the right to place a “security freeze” on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
TransUnion
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094
1-888-909-8872
www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
Equifax
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:
Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
Social Security number;
Date of birth;
If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years;
Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.);
If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.
As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resource/place-fraud-alert
Equifax
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348
1-888-766-0008
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.
The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); 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 in order 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. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
What Happened? Alamance Skin Center, a Cone Health practice since 2017, discovered that it was the victim of a ransomware cyber-attack in late July. In response, Alamance Skin Center immediately took impacted systems offline and began an investigation with assistance from a third-party forensic firm. The incident was also reported to law enforcement.
What Information Was Involved? While the investigation did not find that patient information was compromised during the attack, on October 21, 2020 we confirmed that certain patient data is unrecoverable. As such, we chose to notify our patients in full transparency. The data in question includes patient names, medical record numbers, dates of birth, diagnosis information, addresses, and date(s) of service.
What We Are Doing? As part of Alamance Skin Center’s ongoing commitment to the security of information in its care, Alamance Skin Center will be reviewing existing policies and procedures and implementing additional safeguards to prevent unauthorized activity. Impacted patients will also receive written correspondence concerning this incident.
For More Information: If you have any questions, please call our toll-free dedicated assistance line at 855-914-4662, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Eastern Time. You may also write to Alamance Skin Center c/o Cone Health Audit and Compliance Services at 1200 North Elm Street, Greensboro, NC, 27401. Patients who have scheduled an appointment with Alamance Skin Center should call the practice to confirm the time and date of the appointment.
What Can You Do? Alamance Skin Center encourages 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. Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report.
You have the right to place a “security freeze” on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below:
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/freeze/center.html
TransUnion
P.O. Box 160
Woodlyn, PA 19094
1-888-909-8872
www.transunion.com/credit-freeze
Equifax
P.O. Box 105788
Atlanta, GA 30348-5788
1-800-685-1111
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:
Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
Social Security number;
Date of birth;
If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years;
Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.);
If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.
As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below:
Experian
P.O. Box 9554
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com/fraud/center.html
TransUnion
P.O. Box 2000
Chester, PA 19016
1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resource/place-fraud-alert
Equifax
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348
1-888-766-0008
www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services
You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.
The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); 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 in order 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. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
