Breach, Data Security

SSNs on postcards sent to 5,000 former Molina Healthcare members

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More than 5,000 former members of New Mexico-based Molina Healthcare were sent postcards that may have inadvertently been printed, by contractor Creel Printing, with their Social Security numbers.

How many victims? 5,261, according to reports

What type of personal information? Addresses and, possibly, Social Security numbers. Names were not listed.

What happened? Postcards were sent to former Molina Healthcare members regarding the Health Insurance Marketplace, but may have inadvertently been printed, by contractor Creel Printing, with their Social Security numbers.

What was the response? Molina Healthcare investigated the incident, improved processes and procedures, and put additional safeguards in place to ensure a similar incident does not occur. All impacted individuals are being notified, and offered a free year of identity theft monitoring services.

Details: Molina Healthcare learned on March 24 that the postcards containing Social Security numbers were sent out on March 18. The Social Security numbers were inadvertently printed in place of tracking numbers.

Quote: “Creel did not mean to print [Social Security numbers] on the postcards,” Timothy Zevnik, privacy official with Molina Healthcare, wrote in a notification posted to the Molina Healthcare website. “Creel did not have Molina's permission to print [Social Security numbers] on the postcards.”

Source: molinahealthcare.com, “Breach Notification,” May 2, 2014.

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