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The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is providing notice of a security incident that involves protected health information (PHI) of certain Developmental Disabilities service recipients.
On July 21, the North Dakota Information Technology Department (NDIT) identified a phishing email attack targeting HHS. NDIT acted immediately to stop the phishing email attack. On July 22, NDIT detected unusual sign-in activity related to the incident. Upon investigation, NDIT determined three employees within Developmental Disabilities had interacted with the phishing email, which allowed an unauthorized third party to gain access to their email accounts.
NDIT promptly secured the affected email accounts to prevent any further unauthorized access. HHS conducted a thorough review to determine the extent of PHI accessed and to identify affected individuals. The review was completed Aug 14.
The PHI involved in unauthorized access varies by individual and may include name, contact information, date of birth, age, Developmental Disabilities service information, name of health plan and identification number, medical information and guardian information.
HHS is in the process of providing written notification to affected individuals. Affected individuals are encouraged to watch for incidents of identity theft or fraud by reviewing financial and medical accounts, including statements, credit reports, medical records and explanation of benefits for anything unusual. Affected individuals are reminded to be cautious of unexpected communications, including emails, text messages or phone calls, requesting personal information. Affected individuals may want to place a free fraud alert with one of the three major credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
Information about preventing or reporting identity theft can be obtained from the North Dakota Attorney General's website and the Federal Trade Commission's website.
Affected individuals may contact Kristen Vander Vorst, Developmental Disabilities Field Services administrator, at 800-755-8529, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. with any questions or related concerns.