JOHNS CREEK, Ga., Feb. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Relation Insurance, Inc. ("Relation") provides insurance brokerage services working with insurance providers and is providing notice of a recent event that may impact the privacy of certain personal information. To date, Relation has not received any reports that personal information has been misused as a result of this event.

What Happened? On August 15, 2019, Relation became aware of unusual activity in an employee's email account. Relation immediately launched an investigation, with the assistance of a third-party computer forensics specialists, to determine what may have happened and what information may have been affected.  The investigation determined that an unknown individual had access to the email account between August 14^th and August 15^th of 2019. Therefore, Relation undertook a comprehensive review of emails present in the account at the time of the incident to identify what personal information was stored within the emails and to whom that information relates. On October 16, 2019, Relation confirmed personal information was present in the email account and began reviewing its files to determine which business partners were associated with this information. On December 13, 2019, Relation provided notice of this incident to its insurance provider partners. To date, Relation has no evidence to suggest actual or attempted misuse of information as a result of this event.

What Information Was Involved? The potentially affected information varied by carrier and individual. The information  present in the email account at the time of the incident included the following identifiers: name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, Social Security number, passport number, driver's license or state issued identification number, copy of marriage or birth certificate, account and routing number, financial institution name, credit/debit card number, PIN, expiration date, treatment information, prescription information, provider name, medical record number, patient ID, health insurance information, treatment cost, medical history, mental or physical condition, diagnosis code, procedure type, procedure code, treatment location, admission date, discharge date, medical device number, and date of death.

What Are We Doing?  Information privacy and security are among Relation's highest priorities.  Relation has strict security measures in place to protect information in its care. Upon discovering this incident, Relation immediately took steps to confirm the security of its systems and email accounts. Relation reviewed existing security policies and implemented additional measures to further protect information, including enhanced email security. Relation also reported this incident to law enforcement.

What Can You Do?  Relation established a dedicated assistance line for individuals seeking additional information regarding this incident.  Individuals may call 1-844-902-2034, 9:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., ET, Monday through Friday, with questions or if they would like additional information.  Below is additional information about what individuals can do to protect their information.

Relation encourages potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud and to review account statements, credit reports, and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity.  Under U.S. law, individuals with credit reports are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228.  Individuals may also contact the three major credit bureaus directly to request a free copy of their credit report. The credit reporting agencies may be contacted as follows: 

You can further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes, and the steps you can take to protect yourself, by contacting the consumer reporting agencies, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); 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.      

SOURCE Relation Insurance