You may have received a letter in recent months like the one shown here. A number of people have reached out to our office to verify whether these letters are legitimate.

So, in the spirit of The Sun in 1897, I say, “Yes, Virginia, there was a data breach.” Change Healthcare did experience a cybersecurity breach in February of this year. Why are people receiving letters this late in the year? Well, this was a data breach of never-before-seen proportions. They aren’t even sure exactly who was affected.

If there is even a small possibility that you were involved in the data breach, you’ll receive a letter. The breach is legitimate; however, it is not an ongoing issue. It occurred early in the year, and their software has been re-secured. Nevertheless, that doesn’t change the fact that many people’s information was potentially exposed.

In addition to the question, “Is this real?”, we are often asked, “What should I do?” The response remains consistent with what you should already be doing: keep an eye on your accounts, credit score, and any suspicious activity that may arise. The letter provides an opportunity for free credit monitoring services via a link, which you are encouraged to utilize. Alternatively, you can independently monitor your accounts and review your credit reports at annualcreditreport.com, the only government-approved site for this purpose. For further tracking of your accounts and checking the dark web for any signs of identity misuse, you may consider paid services.

It’s not a very good early Christmas gift, but, yes, it is real. We must all continue to be vigilant in this world where our information is often susceptible to theft. If you have any questions, reach out to the MI Benefits Guy!

Last Updated on November 1, 2024