Tift Regional Health System, Inc. (“TRHS”) is providing notice of a recent data security incident. This notice provides information about the incident, our response, and resources available to individuals to help protect their information from possible misuse, should they feel it necessary to do so.
What Happened? On or around August 16, 2022, TRHS became aware of suspicious activity affecting certain systems within our network. We immediately launched an investigation, with the assistance of third-party specialists, to confirm the full nature and scope of the activity. We disabled the network proactively as a security response and restored access quickly. There was no encryption of systems or access to TRHS’ electronic medical record system, and the network has been available for staff and patients to support care delivery and services. The investigation determined that certain files on TRHS systems may have been accessed or copied without authorization between August 11, 2022 and August 17, 2022. TRHS’ investigation is ongoing to determine the personal information that may have been present in the potentially affected files. TRHS will send letters, where possible, to affected individuals identified through the review process, and is also posting this notice on its website.
What Information Was Involved? The investigation into the affected information is ongoing. The information potentially affected may include a combination of certain individuals’ Social Security numbers, patient identification numbers, driver’s license numbers, medical information, treatment information, diagnosis information, health insurance information, and dates of birth.
What We Are Doing. We take the security of information entrusted to us seriously and apologize for any inconvenience this incident may cause. As part of our ongoing commitment to the security of information within our care, TRHS is reviewing our existing policies and procedures regarding cybersecurity and evaluating additional measures and safeguards to protect against this type of incident in the future. TRHS also notified federal law enforcement about the incident and is supporting their investigation. TRHS will also be providing notice to relevant state and federal regulators regarding the incident, as applicable.
What You Can Do. We encourage individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing their accounts and Explanation of Benefits and monitoring their free credit reports for suspicious activity. Individuals may also review the information contained in the Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information below.
For More Information. If you have questions about this incident that are not addressed in this notice, please contact 800-397-9808, Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM ET to 5:00 PM ET.
Steps You Can Take to Protect Personal Information
Monitor Your Accounts
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 your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your 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 you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one 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 your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide 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 you are a victim of identity theft.
Should you wish to place a credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:
| Equifax | Experian | TransUnion |
| https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ | https://www.experian.com/help/ | https://www.transunion.com/credit-help |
| 888-298-0045 | 1-888-397-3742 | 833-395-6938 |
| Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 | Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 | TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 |
| Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 | Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 | TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094 |
Additional Information
You 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. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.
For District of Columbia residents, the District of Columbia Attorney General may be contacted at: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-727-3400; and oag@dc.gov.
For Maryland residents, the Maryland Attorney General may be contacted at: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1-410-528-8662 or 1-888-743-0023; and www.oag.state.md.us. TRHS is located at 901 E. 18th Street, Tifton, GA 31794.
For New Mexico residents, you have rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, such as the right to be told if information in your credit file has been used against you, the right to know what is in your credit file, the right to ask for your credit score, and the right to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information. Further, pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the consumer reporting bureaus must correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; consumer reporting agencies may not report outdated negative information; access to your file is limited; you must give your consent for credit reports to be provided to employers; you may limit “prescreened” offers of credit and insurance you get based on information in your credit report; and you may seek damages from violator. You may have additional rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act not summarized here. Identity theft victims and active duty military personnel have specific additional rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. We encourage you to review your rights pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting Act by visiting http://www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201504_cfpb_summary_your-rights-under-fcra.pdf, or by writing Consumer Response Center, Room 130-A, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580.
For New York residents, the New York Attorney General may be contacted at: Office of the Attorney General, The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224-0341; 1-800-771-7755; or https://ag.ny.gov/.
For North Carolina residents, the North Carolina Attorney General may be contacted at: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-9001; 1-877-566-7226 or 1-919-716-6000; and www.ncdoj.gov.
For Rhode Island residents, the Rhode Island Attorney General may be reached at: 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903; www.riag.ri.gov; and 1-401-274-4400. Under Rhode Island law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident.
