Community of Hope D.C. Notice of Data Security Incident | Community of Hope
Community of Hope D.C. Notice of Data Security Incident
June 30, 2022 – Community of Hope D.C. (“COHDC”) has become aware of a data security incident that may have involved patient information.
What Happened? On February 7, 2022, COHDC learned of a data security incident involving unauthorized access to an email account of one COHDC employee. The incident was discovered when the account’s authorized user identified spam messages being sent from the account. In response, COHDC immediately took steps to secure its environment and began to investigate. COHDC also engaged leading, independent cybersecurity experts to help determine what happened and whether personal information had been accessed or acquired without authorization. As a result, COHDC learned that an unauthorized actor may have accessed certain files and data contained within a single Outlook 365 email account between January 27 and February 7, 2022.
What Information Was Involved? The information varied for each individual but may have included Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial information, health insurance information, and health diagnostic information.
What Are We Doing? As soon as we discovered the incident, we took the steps described above. We also notified local law enforcement and the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. On June 30, 2022, we notified individuals affected by this incident.
What You Can Do: Although we have no information to suggest that your personal information is being misused, out of an abundance of caution, you should remain vigilant for incidents of financial fraud and identity theft by regularly reviewing your account statements and credit reports closely. If you detect any suspicious activity on an account, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You should also promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidence of identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, your state attorney general, and/or the Federal Trade Commission.
For More Information: If you have any questions about this letter, please contact IDX at 1-800-939-4170. IDX representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9 am - 9 pm Central Time. Please accept our sincere apologies and know that we deeply regret any worry or inconvenience that this may cause you.
RECOMMENDED STEPS TO HELP PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
1. Telephone. Contact IDX at 1-800-939-4170 to gain additional information about this event and speak with knowledgeable representatives about the appropriate steps to take to protect your credit identity.
2. Review your credit reports. We recommend that you remain vigilant by reviewing account statements and monitoring credit reports. Under federal law, you also are entitled every 12 months to one free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies. To obtain a free annual credit report, go to www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. You may wish to stagger your requests so that you receive a free report by one of the three credit bureaus every four months.
If you discover any suspicious items and have enrolled in IDX identity protection, notify them immediately by calling or by logging into the IDX website and filing a request for help.
If you file a request for help or report suspicious activity, you will be contacted by a member of our ID Care team who will help you determine the cause of the suspicious items. In the unlikely event that you fall victim to identity theft as a consequence of this incident, you will be assigned an ID Care Specialist who will work on your behalf to identify, stop and reverse the damage quickly.
You should also know that you have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some kind of proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You can report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement or to the Attorney General.
3. Place Fraud Alerts with the three credit bureaus. If you choose to place a fraud alert, we recommend you do this after activating your credit monitoring. You can place a fraud alert at one of the three major credit bureaus by phone and also via Experian’s or Equifax’s website. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit. The contact information for all three bureaus is as follows:
Credit Bureaus
Equifax Fraud Reporting
1-866-349-5191
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
www.equifax.com
Experian Fraud Reporting
1-888-397-3742
P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com
TransUnion Fraud Reporting
1-800-680-7289
P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19022-2000
www.transunion.com
It is necessary to contact only ONE of these bureaus and use only ONE of these methods. As soon as one of the three bureaus confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place alerts on their records as well. You will receive confirmation letters in the mail and will then be able to order all three credit reports, free of charge, for your review. An initial fraud alert will last for one year.
Please Note: No one is allowed to place a fraud alert on your credit report except you.
4. Security Freeze. By placing a security freeze, someone who fraudulently acquires your personal identifying information will not be able to use that information to open new accounts or borrow money in your name. You will need to contact the three national credit reporting bureaus listed above to place the freeze. Keep in mind that when you place the freeze, you will not be able to borrow money, obtain instant credit, or get a new credit card until you temporarily lift or permanently remove the freeze. There is no cost to freeze or unfreeze your credit files.
5. You can obtain additional information about the steps you can take to avoid identity theft from the following agencies. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them.
All US Residents: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20580, www.consumer.gov/idtheft , 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338), TTY: 1-866-653-4261
June 30, 2022 – Community of Hope D.C. (“COHDC”) has become aware of a data security incident that may have involved patient information.
What Happened? On February 7, 2022, COHDC learned of a data security incident involving unauthorized access to an email account of one COHDC employee. The incident was discovered when the account’s authorized user identified spam messages being sent from the account. In response, COHDC immediately took steps to secure its environment and began to investigate. COHDC also engaged leading, independent cybersecurity experts to help determine what happened and whether personal information had been accessed or acquired without authorization. As a result, COHDC learned that an unauthorized actor may have accessed certain files and data contained within a single Outlook 365 email account between January 27 and February 7, 2022.
What Information Was Involved? The information varied for each individual but may have included Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, financial information, health insurance information, and health diagnostic information.
What Are We Doing? As soon as we discovered the incident, we took the steps described above. We also notified local law enforcement and the federal Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. On June 30, 2022, we notified individuals affected by this incident.
What You Can Do: Although we have no information to suggest that your personal information is being misused, out of an abundance of caution, you should remain vigilant for incidents of financial fraud and identity theft by regularly reviewing your account statements and credit reports closely. If you detect any suspicious activity on an account, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You should also promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidence of identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, your state attorney general, and/or the Federal Trade Commission.
For More Information: If you have any questions about this letter, please contact IDX at 1-800-939-4170. IDX representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9 am - 9 pm Central Time. Please accept our sincere apologies and know that we deeply regret any worry or inconvenience that this may cause you.
RECOMMENDED STEPS TO HELP PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
1. Telephone. Contact IDX at 1-800-939-4170 to gain additional information about this event and speak with knowledgeable representatives about the appropriate steps to take to protect your credit identity.
2. Review your credit reports. We recommend that you remain vigilant by reviewing account statements and monitoring credit reports. Under federal law, you also are entitled every 12 months to one free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies. To obtain a free annual credit report, go to www.annualcreditreport.com or call 1-877-322-8228. You may wish to stagger your requests so that you receive a free report by one of the three credit bureaus every four months.
If you discover any suspicious items and have enrolled in IDX identity protection, notify them immediately by calling or by logging into the IDX website and filing a request for help.
If you file a request for help or report suspicious activity, you will be contacted by a member of our ID Care team who will help you determine the cause of the suspicious items. In the unlikely event that you fall victim to identity theft as a consequence of this incident, you will be assigned an ID Care Specialist who will work on your behalf to identify, stop and reverse the damage quickly.
You should also know that you have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity fraud. Please note that in order to file a crime report or incident report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some kind of proof that you have been a victim. A police report is often required to dispute fraudulent items. You can report suspected incidents of identity theft to local law enforcement or to the Attorney General.
3. Place Fraud Alerts with the three credit bureaus. If you choose to place a fraud alert, we recommend you do this after activating your credit monitoring. You can place a fraud alert at one of the three major credit bureaus by phone and also via Experian’s or Equifax’s website. A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit. The contact information for all three bureaus is as follows:
Credit Bureaus
Equifax Fraud Reporting
1-866-349-5191
P.O. Box 105069
Atlanta, GA 30348-5069
www.equifax.com
Experian Fraud Reporting
1-888-397-3742
P.O. Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013
www.experian.com
TransUnion Fraud Reporting
1-800-680-7289
P.O. Box 2000 Chester, PA 19022-2000
www.transunion.com
It is necessary to contact only ONE of these bureaus and use only ONE of these methods. As soon as one of the three bureaus confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place alerts on their records as well. You will receive confirmation letters in the mail and will then be able to order all three credit reports, free of charge, for your review. An initial fraud alert will last for one year.
Please Note: No one is allowed to place a fraud alert on your credit report except you.
4. Security Freeze. By placing a security freeze, someone who fraudulently acquires your personal identifying information will not be able to use that information to open new accounts or borrow money in your name. You will need to contact the three national credit reporting bureaus listed above to place the freeze. Keep in mind that when you place the freeze, you will not be able to borrow money, obtain instant credit, or get a new credit card until you temporarily lift or permanently remove the freeze. There is no cost to freeze or unfreeze your credit files.
5. You can obtain additional information about the steps you can take to avoid identity theft from the following agencies. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them.
All US Residents: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20580, www.consumer.gov/idtheft , 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338), TTY: 1-866-653-4261
