Robert Weisman reports: Federal officials are investigating the theft of personal information of about 8,830 former and current members of a Tufts Health Plan insurance plan, including names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers but not medical, health, or financial information, the insurer said Thursday. Tufts Health Plan, based in Watertown, said the victims were…
D.C. physicians swept up in tax ID theft scam
Hayley Tsukayama reports: The tax day deadline passed more than a week ago, but for some Washington physicians, the headache may have just begun. A handful of physicians who practice in the District have reported being hit by an ID theft tax scam in recent weeks after being alerted to the scam by the Medical…
Ca: Federal Privacy Commissioner’s Office loses backup drive with personal information
Ouch. Howard Solomon reports: Mistakes can happen in any organization, but when the office of the federal privacy commissioner loses an unencrypted hard drive with personal information it must sting. But that’s what happened on Feb 14 during the agency’s move to Gatineau, Que. from its home across the river in Ottawa. The Toronto Star revealed the…
Port Jefferson Union Free School District IT assets not adequately secured – audit
As it has done with other school districts, the NYS Comptroller’s Office has released its audit of Information Technology for the Port Jefferson Union Free School District. The audit covered the period July 1, 2012 — August 31, 2013. Here’s a snippet from their report findings: The Board and District officials need to improve controls…
150 doctors target of tax fraud in NH, Vt., Shaheen says
I’m pleased to see that the rash of stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) affecting health care professionals, discussed here and here, is getting wider media attention. Brian Krebs reported it on the other day, and that always helps wake up the media. Now the Associated Press reports: New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has asked the…
PA: Patient information may have been on stolen Coordinated Health laptop
Two breaches within one month? Will that get HHS’s attention? The Pocono Record reports: A laptop computer that may have contained the files of more than 700 Coordinated Health patients was stolen from an employee’s car on Feb. 21 and has not been recovered, according to a press release issued by Coordinated Health today. The…