St. Croix Hospice - Notice of Data Privacy Event

OAKDALE, Minn., July 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Croix Hospice is providing notice of a recent data privacy event that may have affected certain personal information. The confidentiality, privacy, and security of information is one of St. Croix's highest priorities and the organization takes this matter seriously. To date, St. Croix Hospice has not received any reports that personal information has been misused as a result of this incident.

What Happened? On May 10, 2019, St. Croix Hospice noticed suspicious activity in a certain email account.  St. Croix Hospice immediately began an investigation into the activity.  This investigation included working with third-party forensic investigators to confirm the nature and scope of this incident. On May 30, 2019, the investigation determined that there was unauthorized access to certain email accounts between April 23, 2019 and May 11, 2019.  The investigation was unable to determine what information, if any, was accessed within those email accounts. 

In an abundance of caution, St. Croix Hospice began to review the affected email accounts to determine if there was any personal information present in the accounts at the time of the incident.  This review required an extensive systematic and manual review of the emails, files and documents.  On June 21, 2019, St. Croix Hospice determined that personal information was present in the affected email accounts at the time of the incident.  Since that time, St. Croix Hospice has been diligently reviewing its records for purposes of notifying affected individuals.  St. Croix's investigation has not revealed evidence of actual or attempted misuse of personal information as a result of this incident. 

What Information Was Involved?  Through the ongoing investigation, St. Croix Hospice determined that the information present on the affected email accounts impacted by this event may include affected individuals' name, address, Social Security number, financial information, health insurance information, as well as medical history and treatment information. 

What We Are Doing. St. Croix Hospice is individually notifying those whose information was present in the affected email accounts.  As an added precaution, the organization is offering these individuals access to credit monitoring and identity protection services at no cost.     

What You Can Do. St. Croix Hospice encourages individuals to review the information below related to "Steps Individuals Can Take to Protect Against Identity Theft and Fraud," which provides detail on how to better protect against possible misuse of information.  Affected individuals can find guidance in the letters being sent to them.   

For More Information. Individuals who may have questions about the incident, may contact (651) 237-9716 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

STEPS INDIVIDUALS CAN TAKE TO PROTECT AGAINST IDENTITY THEFT AND FRAUD

St. Croix Hospice encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect error.  Under U.S. law adults 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.  A freeze remains in place until you ask the credit bureau to temporarily lift it or remove it altogether. If the request is made online or by phone, a credit bureau must lift a freeze within one hour. If the request is made by mail, then the bureau must lift the freeze no later than three business days after getting your request.  If you opt for a temporary lift because you are applying for credit or a job, and you can find out which credit bureau the business will contact for your file, you can save some time by lifting the freeze only at that particular credit bureau. Otherwise, you need to make the request with all three credit bureaus.

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:

Once you place a fraud alert with one of the credit bureaus, that credit bureau will then contact the other two credit bureaus. 

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.      

For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16^th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, 1-888-743-0023, www.oag.state.md.us.  St. Croix Hospice is located at 7755 3^rd St N STE #200 Oakdale, MN 55128.

For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting agencies must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit "prescreened" offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violator. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.

For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6400, www.ncdoj.gov.

For Rhode Island Residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General can be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903, www.riag.ri.gov, 1-401-247-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident.  Currently, there are no known affected Rhode Island residents. 

SOURCE St. Croix Hospice