Florida payor data theft notification expands to 1.2 million

AvMedHealth Plans will notify additional current and former members whose personal information may have been affected by a December 2009 theft of two laptop computers from the company’s offices in Gainesville, Fla.

AvMed promptly reported the theft to law enforcement authorities and began its own forensic investigation to determine the nature of the information stored on the laptops, according to the Miami-based insurer. In February, 360,000 current and former members were notified whose information (including name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and health-related information) may have been compromised as a result of the theft.

As the investigation progressed, the payor concluded that there was reason to believe that similar information about approximately 860,000 additional current and former members may have been included.

There has been no evidence that any personal information has been misused as a result of this incident, AvMed stated.

Beginning this week, letters will be mailed to these current and former members advising them of the situation, and to provide them with a reference guide of steps they can take to protect their personal information.

In addition, AvMed is providing two years of identity protection under the Debix Identity Protection Network from data protection company Debix at no cost to affected individuals. AvMed stated it continues to work with law enforcement authorities on their criminal investigation.

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