California Dentist Provides Public Notice of Data Security Incident

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Cathrine Steinborn, DDS,  is providing notice of a recent office theft which may affect the security of patient and responsible party personal and protected health information.

On January 5, 2015, Dr. Steinborn's office was burglarized and a server containing patient and responsible party information was stolen. The burglary was immediately reported to Santa Clara Police Department. Since the burglary, Dr. Steinborn's office has increased physical security and surveillance of the premises.  The office has also encrypted patient and responsible party information, and enhanced physical security of the server on which this information is stored. Dr. Steinborn provided notice of this incident to affected individuals on January 9, 2015, January 13, 2015, and February 18, 2015. Dr. Steinborn's investigation into this incident is ongoing. Information that may be contained in each valid record stored on the server includes name, address, date of birth, telephone number, Social Security number, dental and/or medical insurance information, health background information, treatment information, and billing information. The server did not contain bank account, driver's license, or credit/debit card information. 

Although unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of the information stored on the server, Dr. Steinborn is offering each affected individual access to one free year of credit monitoring and identity restoration services. In addition to notifying affected patients and responsible parties about this incident, Dr. Steinborn is providing notice of this incident to certain federal and state regulators. 

Dr. Steinborn's office encourages patients and responsible parties to remain vigilant by reviewing their account statements for any unusual activity, and monitoring their credit reports. Under U.S. law, individuals areentitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit bureaus. To obtain a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, (877) 322-8228.

At no charge, individuals can also have the credit bureaus place a "fraud alert" on their credit files.  A fraud alert will alert creditors to take additional steps to verify an individual's identity prior to granting credit in the person's name.  Please note, however, that because it tells creditors to follow certain procedures to protect the individual's credit, it may also delay the ability to obtain credit while the agency verifies the individual's identity. As soon as one credit bureau confirms an individual's fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts on that individual's file. Any individual wishing to place a fraud alert, or who has questions regarding their credit report, can contact any one of the following agencies: Equifax, P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta, GA 30348-5069, 800-525-6285, www.equifax.com; Experian, P.O. Box 2002, Allen, TX 75013, 888-397-3742, www.experian.com; or TransUnion, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19022-2000, 800-680-7289, www.transunion.com. Information regarding security freezes may also be obtained from these sources.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. To file a complaint with the FTC, or to obtain additional information on identity theft and the steps that can be taken to avoid identity theft, the FTC can be reached at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580, or at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or (877) ID-THEFT (877-438-4338); TTY: (866) 653-4261. State attorneys general may also have advice on preventing identity theft, and instances of known or suspected identity theft should be reported to law enforcement, the Attorney General in the individual's state of residence, and the FTC. Individuals can also learn more about placing a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit files by contacting the FTC or their state's Attorney General. For North Carolina residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001, (919) 716-6400, www.ncdoj.gov. For Maryland residents, the Attorney General can be contacted at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202, (888) 743-0023, www.oag.state.md.us.

Dr. Steinborn's office is providing a toll-free confidential call line to address questions and concerns regarding the incident. Individuals with questions or concerns about the incident may call 888-653-5244 between 6:00 a.m. PST to 6:00 p.m. PST, Monday to Friday.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/california-dentist-provides-public-notice-of-data-security-incident-300039197.html

SOURCE Dr. Cathrine Steinborn, DDS

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