With many businesses and companies turning to digital resources for employees and consumers to complete transactions, make payments, input personal data, and more, a certain amount of trust is expected when hitting the submit button.
Unfortunately, data breach cases are on the rise across the nation, putting people’s personal information in jeopardy of ending up in the wrong hands.
In this blog, we’ll discuss what exactly data breaching entails and what you should do if your information has been breached.
What is a data breach?
A data breach is when confidential, private, protected, or sensitive information has been exposed to a person not authorized to access it.
The sources of your personal information being compromised can be from:
– Medical providers, such as hospitals or pharmacies
– Mortgage companies
– Retail establishments
– Phone carriers
– Insurance companies
– Social media accounts
– Credit or debit cards
– Bank accounts
Some of the information that can be stored from these sources include:
– Full name
– Social Security Number
– Health information
– Physical address
– Credit card number
– Date of birth
How do I know if my information has been breached?
The HIPAA Breach Notification Rule, 45 C.F.R. §§ 164.400-414, requires
Healthcare providers and companies they contract with to provide notice of any breach to each affected individual “without unreasonable delay and in no case later than 60 days following discovery of the breach.”
If the information is not protected by HIPAA then you will get a letter from the company informing you of the breach without unreasonable delay.
Common indicators that your information has been compromised include:
– Unauthorized charges to credit card/bank account
– Collection notices or calls for a debt that you don’t owe
– Errors to your credit report
– Your electronically filed tax return is rejected
– Receiving mail for an unknown credit card or store charge account
What should I do if I believe my information has been compromised?
If you’ve received a letter in the mail that your personal information may have been compromised, you should reach out to your Charleston-based law group, Tiano & O’Dell, PLLC. We will assist you with the next move to prevent any further damage regarding your personal information. Please call 304-720-6700 for a free consultation.