- Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation
A data breach is the unauthorized acquisition of personal information that creates a substantial risk of identity theft or fraud. The Massachusetts Data Breach Notification Law mandates that all data breaches involving Massachusetts residents be reported to the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR).
In accordance with that law, OCABR was recently notified that UMass Memorial Health, a Worcester health care network was hacked, exposing the personal information 2,967 Massachusetts residents. The breach took place between June 24, 2020 and January 7, 2021. UMass Memorial Health notified patients earlier this month if their information was involved.
Affected patients may have had their driver’s license, financial accounts, and social security number exposed. However, some impacted patients only had their medical information involved, such as medical record number, health insurance information, and clinical or treatment information including dates of service, provider names, diagnoses, and/or procedure information.
If you were affected, you can call the hospital at 855-867-2673 for additional information. You will need to provide your engagement number, which is provided in the letter you received from the hospital.
As a precaution, review the statements you have received from your health insurer or healthcare provider. If you see any services that you did not receive, contact the insurer or healthcare provider immediately.
If you receive a phone call from someone saying they are from the hospital do not give any personal information to the caller, as there is no way to verify that the caller is legitimate. Instead, call the number listed above and speak to a hospital representative.
