Notice of Data Event

April 2020 · Press Releases

April 10, 2020 – Saint Francis Ministries is providing notice of an incident that may affect the security of certain individuals affiliated with Saint Francis. While we are unaware of any attempted or actual misuse of this information, we are providing potentially affected individuals with additional details about the incident and our response. 

On December 19, 2019, Saint Francis became aware of suspicious activity relating to one of its employee’s email accounts. The organization took steps to secure the email account and began working with outside computer forensics specialists to determine the nature and scope of the activity. On Feb. 12, 2020, the investigation determined that an unknown actor accessed the email account between December 13, 2019, and December 20, 2019. Unfortunately, the investigation was not able to determine if any email or attachment was actually accessed or viewed. We were only able to confirm that the email account was subject to unauthorized access. 

In an abundance of caution and with the assistance of third-party specialists, a comprehensive review of the contents of the impacted email account was performed to identify the personal information in the email account. On March 24, 2020, Saint Francis determined that information for certain individuals was located in the email account when it was subject to unauthorized access and may have been accessible to the unauthorized actor.   

The investigation determined the impacted email accounts contained the following types of information for certain individuals at the time they were subject to unauthorized access: Social Security Number, Date of Birth, Driver’s License or State ID, Bank or Financial Account Number, Credit or Debit Card Number, Treatment or Diagnosis Information, Prescription Information, Provider Name, Medical Record Number or Patient ID, Medicare or Medicaid Number, Health Insurance Information, Treatment Cost Information, and Username and Password. At this time, we are unaware of any actual or attempted misuse of any personal or protected health information relating to this incident. 

On April 17, 2020, Saint Francis will begin mailing notice letters to affected individuals for whom it has address information. The notice letter includes an offer of access to 12 months of credit monitoring and/or identity theft restoration services at no cost to the individual. In addition, the notice encourages potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, credit reports, and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity and report any suspicious activity immediately to their insurance company, health care provider, or financial institution. 

We take the confidentiality, privacy, and security of information in our care very seriously. While we have security measures in place to protect information in our care, we are also taking steps to implement additional safeguards and review policies and procedures in order to protect the security of information on our systems. Specifically, Saint Francis immediately changed the credentials for the email account once it detected the suspicious behavior.  

Individuals seeking additional information regarding this event can call (888) 921-0516, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding national holidays. 

Best Practices 

While we are unaware of any misuse of the personal information potentially accessible within the email accounts,, we encourage you to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review your account statements and explanation of benefits, and to monitor your credit reports for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Under U.S. law you are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of your credit report. 

You have the right to place a “security freeze” on your credit report, which will prohibit a consumer reporting agency from releasing information in your credit report without your express authorization. The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a security freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a security freeze on your credit report. Should you wish to place a security freeze, please contact the major consumer reporting agencies listed below: 

In order to request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information: 

1. Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.); 

1. Social Security number; 

1. Date of birth; 

1. If you have moved in the past five (5) years, provide the addresses where you have lived over the prior five years; 

1. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill; 

1. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.);  

1. If you are a victim of identity theft, include a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.
   

As an alternative to a security freeze, you have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on your file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a 1-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the agencies listed below: 

Additional Information  

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General.  

The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580, www.identitytheft.gov, 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.