COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio's attorney general warned consumers Wednesday that their personal information may be at risk after the theft of a hard drive from insurance company BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.
The affected individuals include more than 860 Ohioans. Ohio Attorney General Richard 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.
For additional information, stay with nbc4i.com and NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail us at stories@nbc4i.com.
NBC 4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video
MORE: NBC 4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC 4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement