United Healthcare Data Breach
NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from United Healthcare contact the Arnold Law Firm at 916-777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.
On or about April 28, 2023, United Healthcare sent a Notice of Data Breach Letter (“Breach Letter”) via mail to victims of the United Healthcare data breach informing them that their personal information, Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) and Protected Health Information (“PHI”), was obtained by hackers during a credential stuffing attack (“data breach”) that took place between February 19, 2023 and February 25, 2023.
On April 28, 2023, United Healthcare stated that “suspicious activity” was noticed on the UHC mobile application “that may have led to the disclosure of member information.” United Healthcare conducted a review, and they determined that “the application was the target of a credential stuffing attack” and that they had found “no evidence that member login credentials used during the attack were accessed or obtained from any UnitedHealthcare system.” United Healthcare asserts it became aware of the data breach in or around April of 2023 and determined on April 10, 2023 that some member information was impacted. An investigation determined the data breach took place between February 19, 2023 and February 25, 2023. As a result of the data breach, hackers obtained from victims their first and last names, health insurance member identification numbers, dates of birth, addresses, dates of service, provider names, claim information, and group names and numbers. United Healthcare claims that the “incident did not involve the disclosure of Social Security numbers or driver’s license numbers.”
United Healthcare is a large healthcare organization that provides many services including health insurance, health care, pharmacy, health technology, and health financial services. United Healthcare also provides various health benefit programs. United Healthcare is headquartered in Minnesota and employs roughly 142,000 clinicians, 50,000 customer service professionals, 36,000 technologists and more. United Healthcare boasts on its website that it provides healthcare services for roughly 151 million individuals. In 2022, United Healthcare generated roughly $324.2 billion dollars in revenue.
Specific numbers are not yet known, but it is likely hundreds of thousands of people throughout California and possibly throughout the United States were exposed. If you received a Breach Letter from United Healthcare, then you were impacted by the data breach.
United Healthcare has offered to victims of the data breach two years of free theft protection services as a precaution.
WHAT INFORMATION IS INVOLVED?
According to United Healthcare, the following information was exposed:
- First and Last Name
- Health Insurance Member Identification Number
- Date of Birth
- Address
- Dates of Service
- Provider Names
- Claim Information
- Group Name and Number
This information is called your Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”). It tells others about you and is considered part of your identity. Businesses are required to secure this information or risk facing statutory penalties, among other legal penalties. Stolen PII can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity.
Personal medical information (a specific type of PII) is referred to as Protected Health Information (“PHI”). It is protected under both state and federal law. Health care providers and other businesses who handle PHI are required to protect that information. Like stolen PII, stolen PHI can be used by identity thieves to engage in fraudulent activity using your identity. Quite often, PII and PHI are used in conjunction by hackers.
The best way to protect yourself after a data breach is to sign up for credit and identity protection services as soon as possible. California offers extra protections and legal rights to its residents through the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”).
NOTICE: If you received a NOTICE OF DATA BREACH letter from United Healthcare, contact the Arnold Law Firm at 916-777-7777 to discuss your legal options, or submit a confidential Case Evaluation form here.