On November 11, Express Scripts announced that some its clients had received extortion attempts, presumably from the same person or persons who had contacted them with the threat to expose personal information if Express Scripts did not meet their demands.
On November 21, Toyota Motor Sales notified the New Hampshire Attorney General that:
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Early the following week, Toyota received a similar threat directly, apparently from the same extortionist. The extortionists identified 188 current and former Toyota associates’ name, social security number and date of birth held by Express Scripts. Additionally, they suggested that they possessed similar information for “most” other current and former Toyota associates and their covered dependents. The FBI is investigating the incident.
In its letter to affected associates and their dependents, Toyota described the communication they received, and added (boldface in original):
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We believe that there is some risk, based on the threat contained in extortionists’ letter, that you or your dependents’ personal information could be misused. Therefore, we believe you should consider taking action to protect your identity even though, at this time, we have received no evidence that there has been any attempt to misuse your personal information or that of your covered dependents.
Express Scripts, through its vendor Kroll, Inc. is offering fraud prevention assistance in connection with this incident (please see enclosed information). The Fraud Prevention Steps You Can Take enclosed with this letter will also be available on ToyotaVision at http://tv/toyotavision/. You may also obtain information through the Express Scripts website at www.esisupports.com We recommend that you take action promptly.