Ridgeline Family Dentistry Provides
Notice of Data Security Incident
Ridgeline Family Dentistry (“Ridgeline”) is providing notice of a data security incident that may involve certain individuals’ protected health information and/or personal information.
On or about November 7, 2022, Ridgeline became aware that phishing emails appeared to be sent by an employee’s email account. We launched an investigation to determine the nature and scope of this activity. The investigation determined the employee’s email account was accessed without authorization between November 7, 2022 and November 8, 2022. We determined on or around January 5, 2023 that the account may contain protected health information. In an abundance of caution, a detailed and thorough review of the contents of the email account was performed to determine what protected health information could be contained in the email messages or attachments at the time of the incident.
On or about February 6, 2023 the review identified that certain email messages or attachments may have contained protected health information related to you. We then worked diligently to locate address information for the affected individuals and just recently completed that effort. We determined that the email messages or attachments at issue may contain the following types of personal information and/or protected health information: name, physical address(es), date of birth, health insurance account information, Social Security number, and clinical information (e.g., medical history, diagnoses, treatment, dates of service, and provider names). We are not aware of any misuse of personal information or protected health information as a result of this incident. We began providing written notice of this incident to individuals with information accessible in the email account on June 16, 2023. We are posting this notice since some of those letters have been returned.
We take this incident and the security of personal information in our care seriously. Upon learning of this incident, we moved quickly to investigate and respond to this incident, assess the security of relevant systems, and notify potentially affected individuals. Our response included resetting relevant account passwords, reviewing the contents of the potentially accessible emails and attachments to determine whether they contained personal information, and reviewing internal systems to identify contact information for purposes of providing notice to potentially affected individuals. As part of ourongoing commitment to the security of information, we are reviewing existing policies and procedures to reduce the likelihood of a similar future event. We also notified the United States Department of Health and Human Services.
If you have any questions regarding this incident, please contact us at ridgelinefd@gmail.com, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time, excluding U.S. holidays. We sincerely apologize that this incident occurred and remain committed to safeguarding the privacy and security of information we collect in providing services to our patients.
What are general steps I can take to help protect my personal information?
Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. Consumers may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of their credit report.
Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit 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 consumers are the victim of identity theft, they are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should consumers wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.
As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in a consumer’s name without consent. However, consumers should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in their credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application they make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, consumers cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on their credit report. To request a credit freeze, individuals may need to provide some or all of the following information:
- Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
- Social Security number;
- Date of birth;
- Addresses for the prior two to five years;
- Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
- A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, etc.); and\
- A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if they are a victim of identity theft.
Should consumers wish to place a credit freeze or fraud alert, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
Individuals may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and 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 and your state Attorney General.
