PLANTATION, Fla., April 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- EmCare, Inc.
and its affiliates (EmCare) today announced that they are
addressing a data security incident that involved the personal
information of some patients, employees and contractors. EmCare has
launched an internal investigation, notified individuals who may
have been impacted and implemented additional security measures to
prevent future occurrences.
EmCare recently became aware that an unauthorized third party
obtained access to a number of EmCare employees' email accounts.
Upon learning of the incident, EmCare promptly launched a
comprehensive investigation and obtained a leading forensic
security firm to help determine the scope of the incident and those
impacted. In addition, EmCare is taking measures to help prevent
this type of incident from occurring in the future, including
implementing advanced information technology (IT) solutions and
providing all employees further training and reminders about email
and IT security.
On Feb. 19, 2019, EmCare
determined that the impacted email accounts contained some
patients', employees' and contractors' personal information,
including name, date of birth or age, and for some patients,
clinical information. In addition, in some instances, Social
Security and driver's license numbers were impacted.
There is no evidence to suggest that the information has been
misused, or that anyone will attempt to misuse the information. In
addition, EmCare is not aware of any individual who has been
impacted by fraud or identity theft as a result and does not know
if any personal information was actually obtained by an
unauthorized party. For the subset of patients and employees whose
Social Security or driver's license numbers were impacted, EmCare
has arranged for identity protection and credit monitoring
services.
Beginning April 19, 2019, EmCare
is sending written notification to all impacted individuals for
whom it has contact information. If individuals did not receive
written notification but have received care from a clinician
employed by or engaged with EmCare and its affiliates or believe
they could have been impacted, they can request information by
calling the confidential inquiry line at 855.424.0467 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time Monday through
Friday. Additional information is available on
www.EmCare.com.
Individuals should refer to the notice they received in the mail
to learn how they can protect themselves against potential fraud
and identity theft. As a precautionary measure, individuals should
remain vigilant about opening suspicious emails and reviewing their
account statements and credit reports. If unauthorized activity is
suspected, they should promptly notify the financial institution or
company with which the account is maintained and report the
activity to the proper law enforcement authorities, including the
police and their state's attorney general.
The Federal Trade Commission offers additional information on
fraud alerts, security freezes and ways to avoid identity theft.
These can be found by visiting www.ftc.gov/idtheft, calling
1.877.438.4338 or sending a letter to:
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580
EmCare apologizes for any inconvenience or concern that this
incident might cause. EmCare remains committed to providing
patients the highest quality of care and working with healthcare
partners to improve the health of communities.
Media Contact:
Aliese Polk
Aliese.Polk@evhc.net
615.981.8109
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SOURCE EmCare