INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's attorney general is warning Hoosiers after a data breach at Eskenazi Health. AG Todd Rokita is asking current or former patients and employees to watch out for suspicious activity with their accounts and personal information.
The time shortly after a breach is when hackers and scammers are most likely to use information that's been stolen.
"As with any major breach, Hoosiers should protect and monitor their personal information closely," Attorney General Rokita said. "Our Office's Data Privacy and Identify Theft Unit is prepared to direct consumers to data theft resources to combat further damage and prevent additional harm if they become victims of scammers and fraud."
Eskenazi Health said it has seen no evidence that the data breach has resulted in bank or credit card fraud. Though a statement said employees, providers, patients, former patients and vendors should closely monitor bank and credit card statements.
The statement also reads in part:
Through our investigation, we have learned that some data that we maintain was obtained by bad actors and released online. Our forensic experts are monitoring for this, we have identified files that the hackers obtained, and we have begun the painstaking process of examining those files for any personal patient or employee information. If we find such information, we will notify the affected individuals in accordance with law and offer identity protection and credit monitoring services.
The attorney general's office shared the following best practices:
- Be wary of and on the lookout for any suspicious activity in your bank account, credit cards, and investment and retirement accounts.
- Change the passwords on all your existing accounts. A password of at least 12 letters, numbers and symbols, with at least two capital letters, two numbers and two special characters is best.
- Use a password manager to keep track of your passwords and use 2 factor authentication whenever it’s available.
- You should also request copies of your credit report from all three major credit reporting agencies from https://annualcreditreport.com. At the current time, the credit reporting agencies are permitting consumers to request a free credit report each week.
You should also consider freezing your credit information. The credit freezes are free, and they will help prevent new accounts from being opened in your name.
Here are the credit agencies to reach out to any credit bureau:
Hoosiers are encouraged to contact the Office of the Indiana Attorney General about any suspected fraud, identity theft, scams or scam attempts. Consumers can file a complaint by visiting indianaconsumer.com or calling 1-800-382-5516.