Cardiac Imaging Associates Provides Notice of Data Privacy Incident

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cardiac Imaging Associates ("CIA") is notifying certain individuals of a recent data privacy incident that may impact the privacy of a limited amount of information. CIA is unaware of any misuse of individual information and is providing notice to potentially affected individuals out of an abundance of caution.

What Happened? CIA provides medical imaging services for certain health care providers. CIA recently concluded its investigation into a April 2022 data privacy incident involving potential unauthorized access relating to an internal email account. Upon learning of the activity, CIA immediately took steps to secure the account and, with the assistance of forensic specialists, began an investigation to determine the nature and scope of the activity. CIA determined that an unauthorized actor had access to an email account between approximately March 30, 2022 and April 6, 2022. Although CIA was unable to determine if the unauthorized actor viewed any particular email or attachment as a result of this activity, in an abundance of caution, a thorough and time-intensive review of the contents of the email accounts was conducted to determine if any personal information may have been accessible within the email account and to whom that information relates. CIA's review was recently completed on August 17, 2022. On October 7, 2022, CIA began providing notice of this incident to potentially affected individuals and regulatory authorities, as required.

What Information Was Involved? Though it varies by individual, the types of personal and/or medical information that may have been accessed or acquired by the unauthorized actor included: names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial account information, payment card information, medical diagnosis and condition information, medical laboratory results information, medication and prescription information, and medical treatment information. At this time, CIA is unaware of any or actual or attempted misuse of the affected information as a result of this incident.

What Are We Doing? CIA treats its duty to safeguard information as an utmost priority. CIA responded immediately to this incident and worked diligently to provide potentially affected individuals with accurate and complete notice of the incident as soon as possible. With the assistance of third-party specialists, CIA also took steps to enhance the security of its systems. As part of CIA's ongoing commitment to the privacy and security of information in its care, CIA is reviewing existing policies and procedures and implementing internal training protocols to mitigate any risk associated with this incident and to better prevent future incidents.

For More Information. Individuals seeking additional information regarding this incident can call CIA's dedicated, toll-free number at (833) 708-2890, Monday through Friday 8 am – 10 pm CST, Saturday and Sunday 10 am – 7 pm CST (excluding major U.S. holidays). Please reference engagement number B071116. Individuals may also write to CIA directly at: 8581 Santa Monica Blvd., #471, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

What You Can Do. CIA sincerely regrets any inconvenience this incident may have caused. Although CIA is unaware of the misuse of any personal information impacted by this incident, individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements, explanation of benefits, and monitoring free credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the appropriate insurance company, health care provider, or financial institution. 

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:

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver's license or ID card, military identification, etc.);
7. 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:

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.

SOURCE Positron Imaging Associates, Inc.