Starling Physicians, a Connecticut based multispecialty healthcare group, announced today that it is notifying certain of its patients who were potentially impacted by a data security incident.

Starling recently became aware that on February 8, 2019, it was the target of a cyber-phishing attack.

“Upon learning of the incident, we promptly secured the email accounts to prevent further access. We also retained a leading forensic security firm to investigate and conduct a comprehensive search for any personal information in the impacted accounts, and to confirm the security of our email and computer systems.”

On September 12, 2019, the investigation determined that the affected email accounts contained certain patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth, passport numbers, Social Security numbers, medical information and health insurance or billing information.

On November 12, Starling mailed notification letters to impacted patients for whom it had a valid mailing address. The notification letters provide information on steps individuals can take to protect themselves against potential fraud or identity theft. Individuals whose Social Security number was impacted also received an offer of complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.

Starling encourages individuals to remain vigilant to the possibility of fraud and identity theft by reviewing credit card, bank, and other financial statements, as well as claims made using their insurance for any unauthorized activity. If individuals detect any suspicious activity, they should notify the entity with which the account is maintained, and promptly report the suspicious activity to appropriate law enforcement authorities, including the police and their state attorney general.

In addition, anyone looking for information on fraud prevention can review tips provided by the FTC at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.

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