Scam of the day – March 15, 2025 – Health Care Data Breaches Reaching Epidemic Levels

by | Mar 14, 2025 | Scam of the day

Data breaches are all too common and according to a 2023 report by IBM, healthcare companies account for approximately 27% of all data breaches. An analysis of the health care breach data base maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services done by Security Week indicated that in 2024 there were 720 data breaches affecting as many as 186 million people.  And just this week we learned of four more healthcare data breaches affecting more than 560,000 people.  The four organizations affected were Hillcrest Convalescent Center, Gastroenterology Associates of Central Florida, Community Care Alliance and Sunflower Medical Group.

Healthcare companies are targeted for a number of reasons including the general lack of security of many healthcare companies and the extensive personal and medical information they store including health insurance information that can be sold by criminals on the dark web for large prices enabling other people to access your health insurance.  Having your health insurance policy used by an identity thief is particularly dangerous because it can result in your medical records being corrupted by the medical information of the identity thief and the difficulty in getting this information removed from your medical records.  Having the medical information of an identity thief on your medical records could even result in your getting a blood transfusion of the wrong blood type.

TIPS

This is a good time to remind you that although various health care providers often ask for your Social Security number, they do not need it.  You should politely refuse to provide it when asked.  The fewer places that have your Social Security number the less vulnerable you are to identity theft.

As for the victims of these data breaches, the first thing they should do is freeze their credit if they have not already done so.  Freezing your credit is actually something everyone should do.  It is free and easy to do.  In addition, it protects you from someone using your identity to obtain loans or make large purchases even if they have your Social Security number.  If you have not already done so, put a credit freeze on your credit reports at each of the major credit reporting agencies.  Here are links to each of them with instructions about how to get a credit freeze:

Everyone also should monitor their credit reports regularly for indications of identity theft.  The three major credit reporting agencies now provide free weekly access to your credit reports so you can monitor your credit reports easily on your own.  Here is the only link to use to get your free credit reports.https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
Some scammers have websites that appear to offer “free” credit reports, but if you read the fine print, you often may find that you have signed up for unnecessary services.
Finally, be wary of anyone who calls you asking for personal information in regard to these data breaches as that is a favorite tactic of the hackers to lure you into providing personal information that can lead to your becoming a victim of identity theft.
Also should check to see if your medical records have been corrupted by an identity thief.  If you were affected by this data breach you should get a copy of your medical records from your doctor, health insurance company and any other facility that has treated you.  Review your records for data that does not apply to you and report the errors to your health care provider and demand that the false information be removed.

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