Utah’s new health data security ombudsman says more people are signing up for credit monitoring after a state data breach exposed the personal information of 780,000 people, but there are still parts of the population who are not protected.
When Governor Gary Herbert first tapped Sheila Walsh -McDonald last month to help consumers whose personal information was exposed in the data breach, only 10,000 people had signed up for a year of credit monitoring. Walsh-McDonald says there are now more than 50,000 people sign up for the free service offered by the state. But, she says, she would like to see a lot more.
“We still are reaching a very small percentage of those who have been impacted, so I would encourage people to take action, to be very proactive in their interest and sign up for those services.”
She says the state is offering special family monitoring to protect children 17 and younger, but once teens are 18, they no longer qualify. Adults who have not accumulated a credit history also do not qualify for credit monitoring, she says.
“We are trying to see if we can come up with different solutions for people that truly don’t have a credit history. We haven’t arrived at one yet, but we are asking the question.”
Walsh-McDonald is encouraging those who don’t have access to credit-monitoring to at least sign up for a free 90-day fraud alert.
Utah Health Department
http://www.health.utah.gov/databreach/
Hotline: 1-855-238-3339
