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The warning, issued by James on Tuesday, Nov. 28, urges New York residents to take action to prevent their identities from being stolen in the midst of a data breach at medical transcription company Perry Johnson & Associates.
The Nevada-based company, which provides transcription services to healthcare organizations and physicians to help them dictate and transcribe patient notes, first became aware of the breach in May. According to company officials, the breach impacted social security numbers as well as insurance and clinical information from medical transcription files.
According to James, the breach has affected around four million New York residents in New York City and Syracuse and has also affected Northwell Health and Crouse Health, which have both been notified. The breach leaves those affected vulnerable to theft and impersonation, James said.
"I urge all New Yorkers affected by this data breach to stay alert and take these important steps to protect themselves,” James said, adding, "Bad actors can use the stolen information to impersonate individuals or cause financial harm. Identity theft is a serious issue, and my office will continue to take action to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Those who believe they may have been impacted can take the following steps to protect themselves:
- Monitor your credit using credit monitoring services;
- Consider placing a credit freeze on your credit report;
- Place a fraud alert on your credit report;
- Obtain copies of medical records and review them for any non-recognized information;
- Contest any unrecognized medical billing;
- Inform your insurance company of any suspected fraud.
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