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Friday
March 19, 2010 Since 1922 |
A bitter pill to swallow
By Jane Howard Lee
Contributor Published October 8, 2009 I am the victim of an extortion plot.
Me and a few million other people, that is.
We got a letter this week from the company that administers our prescription drug benefits for our health insurance company.
The letter explained that the drug company, Express Scripts, received a letter in October 2008 from someone trying to extort money by threatening to expose millions of the companies' member records. Apparently that letter included some of that information, just to prove that the extortionist did indeed have that information. Private information from 75 Express Scripts members was included with that letter so those people were notified back then while the investigation got rolling. A reward of $1 million was soon offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the data breach and extortion attempt.
That's serious stuff.
The information includes Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates and, in some cases, prescription information.
It is the kind of information that criminals who like to practice identity theft love to get their hands on.
Express Scripts contracted with Kroll Fraud Solutions to assist members who believe they may be victims of identity theft because of the incident.
Now the extortionist has apparently communicated once again and this time showed proof that he or she has that info on many more of the Express Scripts' members.
Apparently my husband and I are among those.
Isn't that just dandy?
If you want to know more about this, you can check on the web www.databreaches.net, apparently also known as the Office of Inadequate Security, which follows incidents like this one.
Express Scripts has set up a website, www.esisupports.com, that contains "helpful information and resources for our members," according to our letter. We also got a phone number to call Kroll Fraud Solution if we need help from that company.
Our letter provided advice regarding actions to take to safeguard personal information.
It advised considering whether to place a security/fraud alert on one's credit bureau file. A security alert marker on that file will cause any issuer of credit to use additional security for any request for new or increased credit in one's name.
I think we will do that.
The letter also advised people worried about this issue to:
-Periodically check your credit report to ensure that all your information is correct. You can obtain a free credit report once a year by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.
-If you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or have reason to believe your information is being misused, contact your local law enforcement agency and file a police report. Get a copy of that police report and retain it for further use as many creditors want the information it will contain to absolve you of potential fraudulent debts.
-Close any compromised accounts immediately.
-You can also contact the FTC at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft or at 1-877-IDTHEFT.
Lest you think that identity theft can't happen to you, let me tell you something. I read the daily police report put out by the Baytown Police Department and almost every day there is at least one report of a case that relates to identity theft of some kind. With more and more information about each of us available on the Internet, the possibility of becoming a victim of identity theft increases so be alert.
Jane Howard Lee is a reporter for The Baytown Sun.
Contributor Published October 8, 2009 I am the victim of an extortion plot.
Me and a few million other people, that is.
We got a letter this week from the company that administers our prescription drug benefits for our health insurance company.
The letter explained that the drug company, Express Scripts, received a letter in October 2008 from someone trying to extort money by threatening to expose millions of the companies' member records. Apparently that letter included some of that information, just to prove that the extortionist did indeed have that information. Private information from 75 Express Scripts members was included with that letter so those people were notified back then while the investigation got rolling. A reward of $1 million was soon offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the data breach and extortion attempt.
That's serious stuff.
The information includes Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates and, in some cases, prescription information.
It is the kind of information that criminals who like to practice identity theft love to get their hands on.
Express Scripts contracted with Kroll Fraud Solutions to assist members who believe they may be victims of identity theft because of the incident.
Now the extortionist has apparently communicated once again and this time showed proof that he or she has that info on many more of the Express Scripts' members.
Apparently my husband and I are among those.
Isn't that just dandy?
If you want to know more about this, you can check on the web www.databreaches.net, apparently also known as the Office of Inadequate Security, which follows incidents like this one.
Express Scripts has set up a website, www.esisupports.com, that contains "helpful information and resources for our members," according to our letter. We also got a phone number to call Kroll Fraud Solution if we need help from that company.
Our letter provided advice regarding actions to take to safeguard personal information.
It advised considering whether to place a security/fraud alert on one's credit bureau file. A security alert marker on that file will cause any issuer of credit to use additional security for any request for new or increased credit in one's name.
I think we will do that.
The letter also advised people worried about this issue to:
-Periodically check your credit report to ensure that all your information is correct. You can obtain a free credit report once a year by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228.
-If you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or have reason to believe your information is being misused, contact your local law enforcement agency and file a police report. Get a copy of that police report and retain it for further use as many creditors want the information it will contain to absolve you of potential fraudulent debts.
-Close any compromised accounts immediately.
-You can also contact the FTC at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft or at 1-877-IDTHEFT.
Lest you think that identity theft can't happen to you, let me tell you something. I read the daily police report put out by the Baytown Police Department and almost every day there is at least one report of a case that relates to identity theft of some kind. With more and more information about each of us available on the Internet, the possibility of becoming a victim of identity theft increases so be alert.
Jane Howard Lee is a reporter for The Baytown Sun.