SOUTH FLORIDA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NETWORK PROVIDES NOTICE OF DATA SECURITY EVENT

MIAMI, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- South Florida Behavioral Health Network ("SFBHN") dba Thriving Mind South Florida is providing notice of a recent data security event that affects certain information stored on its systems. SFBHN provides management services to the network of providers offering care to individuals with substance abuse and mental health disorders in Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties. SFBHN takes the security of information in its care seriously, and is providing this notice to individuals to make them aware of the incident and provide information about the steps SFBHN is taking in response, and steps individuals may take to help protect personal information, should they wish to do so. Although SFBHN is currently unaware of any fraudulent misuse of any individual's information in connection with this incident, SFBHN is providing information about the incident and steps individuals may take to help protect their information, should they wish to do so.

What Happened? On August 3, 2023, SFBHN became aware of suspicious activity on certain computer systems in its environment, and immediately took steps to secure the environment and launched an investigation with third-party specialists to determine the full nature and scope of the activity. The investigation determined that an unauthorized actor gained access to its servers between August 1 and August 3, 2023, and during this time certain internal files were obtained without authorization. In response, SFBHN undertook a comprehensive review of the information affected by this incident to identify which patients' and providers' information was impacted. This review was complete on September 11, 2023. Once complete, SFBHN worked diligently to confirm the information at issue and provide an accurate notice to those who were affected.

What Information Was Involved? While SFBHN is currently unaware of any misuse of information relating to this event, the data that was present within the impacted files at the time of the event may include an individual's name, date of birth, and Social Security number, if that information was shared with us by your care provider.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? SFBHN is mailing notice letters to the individuals identified as impacted by this incident, for whom it has valid mailing addresses. If an individual did not receive a letter but would like to know if they are affected, they may call SFBHN's dedicated assistance line, provided below.

What Is SFBHN Doing? The privacy and security of information in its possession is one of SFBHN's highest priorities. SFBHN conducted a thorough investigation to determine the scope of the incident and worked quickly to secure its systems. SFBHN also notified federal law enforcement as well as applicable state and federal regulators. To help prevent similar future incidents, SFBHN is further enhancing its network security through the use of additional security tools and protocols.

As an added precaution SFBHN is offering impacted individuals complimentary access to credit monitoring services through Experian. Enrollment instructions are provided in the letter mailed to impacted individuals. Individuals will need to enroll themselves in these services if they wish to do so, as SFBH is not able to activate them on an individual's behalf.

What You Can Do. SFBHN encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements and monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity, and to detect errors. Under U.S. law individuals are entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus. To order a 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, place a fraud alert, or a security freeze. Contact information for the credit bureaus is below:

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 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.

For More Information. If you have additional questions, please call SFBHN's toll-free dedicated assistance line at 833-541-1592. This toll-free line is available Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm Eastern Time and Saturday and Sunday 11:00 am – 8:00 pm Eastern Time (excluding major U.S. Holidays). Individuals may also write to SFBHN at 7205 NW 19th St. Ste 200, Miami, Florida, 33126-1228.

For Massachusetts residents, Under Massachusetts law, you have the right to obtain any police report filed in regard to this incident. If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it.

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 https://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/ .

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 https://files.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. 

SOURCE South Florida Behavioral Health Network (“SFBHN”) dba Thriving Mind South Florida