Attorney General’s Office Issues Consumer Alert On Data Breach

The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office issuing a Consumer Alert on Friday, May 24, 2024, regarding a data breach involving Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of United Health Group (UHG), warning consumers to take action to prevent potential identity theft. UHG is currently the insurance provider for employees of Jefferson County.As of press time, Change Healthcare has not yet notified Nebraska consumers about the data breach. According to a press release, the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office is concerned that a delay in notifying consumers will impact consumers’ ability to be proactive and protect themselves from further harm. The Attorney General’s Office reports that, in February of this year, a hacker accessed Change Healthcare’s systems. The hacker used compromised credentials and launched a ransomware attack, encrypting insurance processing systems across Nebraska and much of the country. It is likely that many Nebraskans’ data was compromised, including protected health information (PHI) and personally identifiable information (PII), both of which can include identifiers such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, Social Security numbers, medical record numbers, and payment information. If you have been affected or suspect that you have been affected, the Attorney General’s Office recommends taking steps to protect yourself, including:Contact your credit or debit card company and request a replacement card for any payment methods you have used in hospitals and other medical institutions.Review your banking and card statements and report any suspicious activity.Request a credit freeze from Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. When your credit is frozen, new lines of credit may not be opened in your name without you temporarily lifting the freeze.If you are freezing your credit, you will need to contact all three major credit reporting agencies:Equifax (888) 298-0045 or www.equifax.comExperian (888) 397-3742 or www.experian.comTransUnion (888) 909-8872 or www.transunion.comYou can request a free credit report on a weekly basis from www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling toll-free 877-322-8228. If you see anything you do not understand or recognize, call the credit reporting agency at the telephone number on the report. You should file an identity theft affidavit online at www.identitytheft.gov. Keep a copy of the affidavit because you may need to give copies to creditors to clear up your records or to access transaction records.A consumer guide dedicated to preventing Identity Theft is available on the Nebraska Attorney General’s website, ProtectTheGoodLife.Nebraska.gov.

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