A statement from the Hawaii Department of Health:
For Immediate Release: October 25, 2012 12-052
POSSIBLE SECURITY BREACH AT WAIPAHU ALOHA CLUBHOUSE Department of Health advises consumers to take precautionary action against identity theft
HONOLULU — The Hawai‘i State Department of Health (DOH) is notifying members of the Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse of a possible security breach in a computer file that stored personal information on Clubhouse members. The breach was discovered on September 25, 2012, when an employee observed unusual activity on a computer suggesting that someone may have been remotely accessing it without authorization.
“We very much regret that this incident occurred and the impact it may have on our Waipahu Clubhouse members,” said Dr. Bill Sheehan, Chief of the Adult Mental Health Division. “As soon as we discovered this possible security breach, the department acted quickly and ordered a forensic examination of the computer. Although we have no evidence of the information being used for a wrongful or unlawful purpose, the department is taking every precaution to notify all those affected. Immediate steps were also taken to prevent this from reoccurring.”
Approximately 600 former and registered members of the Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse are being notified by mail of the possible security breach. The Clubhouse, located at 94-091 Waipio Point Access Road, serves adults living with severe and persistent mental illness and provides daily activities and programs to support individuals on their journey to recovery and self-sufficiency. Information contained on the computer dated back to 1997 and included Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse member’s names, birthdates, addresses, phone numbers, consumer record numbers, and some social security numbers. No medical records were stored on the computer. To date, DOH is unaware of any illegal activity resulting from the information breach.
“Many of the affected Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse members may have changed their mailing addresses since registering with the program as far back as 1997. Because we may not be able to reach these families by mail, we hope the public will help us to get the word out,” said Dr. Bill Sheehan.
All Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse members are advised to place a fraud alert on their credit files and notify the police if they find any suspicious credit activity.
Anyone needing further information may call the DOH Adult Mental Health Division toll-free at 1-866-890-6394. Helpful website resources on identity theft include www.hawaii.gov/dcca/quicklinks/id_theft_info/ and www.consumer.gov/idtheft/.
Clubhouses are a program of the DOH Community Mental Health Center System. The System provides comprehensive, coordinated, integrated, and culturally competent mental health services to individuals 18 years of age and older with severe and persistent mental illness. Currently there are eight active Clubhouses providing critical services in Hawai‘i, and more than 300 worldwide.
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