May 4, 2022 – Greater Nashua Mental Health (“GNMH”), a nonprofit entity operating as a New Hampshire Community Mental Health Center (“CMHC”) providing mental health treatment services pursuant to a court diversion program, has learned of a data security incident that may have impacted data belonging to current and former participants of the program. This notification provides information about the incident and resources available to assist potentially impacted individuals.
What happened? On February 23, 2022, GNMH discovered the incident. In response, we immediately began an investigation with the help of cybersecurity experts. The investigation team determined that on or about February 21, 2022, an outside party gained access to the computer system that we use to store information about your participation in the GNMH mental health court diversion program. The outside party deleted and moved information around within the computer system where your information was stored. The investigation team was unable to determine whether your specific court information was actually viewed. However, the investigation did not find evidence that anyone’s personal information was taken from the system. We immediately undertook a review of the information involved in the incident, and out of an abundance of caution, are notifying you to provide you with steps that you can take to protect your information.
NOTE: Your GNMH full medical / treatment records were not affected at all and a full backup copy of the court diversion program information also was not affected, so we still have all the information we need for reporting.
What information was involved? The diversion program information that was stored in our system varied but potentially could have included things such as names, addresses, date of birth, social security number, diagnosis code, medication name, court liaison discharge notes, and healthcare provider organizational name. The investigation team did not find any postings of personal information on the internet and did not identify any actual misuse of your personal financial or health information during the course of the investigation.
What are we doing in response? Data privacy and security are among GNMH’s highest priorities. GNMH has taken steps to help prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future. GNMH is also providing notice of this incident to potentially impacted individuals and is providing resources to assist them. GNMH has also established a toll-free call center to answer questions about the incident. For more information about this incident or if you need assistance, please call Experian (888) 994-0277 between the hours of 10 am to 5 pm ET Monday – Friday (excluding holidays).
What you can do? You can follow the recommendations listed below with this notice to protect your personal information.
Please do not contact the Court about this incident. Court officials have been notified but will not have detailed information about this event.
Feel free to contact us directly at 603-889-6147 if you need to schedule an appointment for treatment. We sincerely apologize for any concern this may have caused you.
GNMH is also providing the following information to help those who want to know more about steps they can take to protect themselves and their personal information.
What steps can I take to protect my personal information?
- Please notify your financial institution immediately if you detect any suspicious activity on any of your accounts, including unauthorized transactions or new accounts opened in your name that you do not recognize. You should also promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidents of identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities.
- You can request a copy of your credit report, free of charge, directly from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To do so, free of charge once every 12 months, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228. Contact information for the three nationwide credit reporting agencies is listed at the bottom of this page.
- You can take steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission to protect yourself from identify theft. The FTC’s website offers helpful information at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.
How do I obtain a copy of my credit report?
You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months by visiting http://www.annualcreditreport.com/, calling toll-free 877-322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348. You also can contact one of the following three agencies:
TransUnionP.O. Box 1000Chester, PA 190161-800-916-8800www.transunion.com | ExperianP.O. Box 2002Allen, TX 750131-888-397-3742www.experian.com | EquifaxP.O. Box 740241Atlanta, GA 303741-888-548-7878www.equifax.com |
How do I put a fraud alert on my account?
You may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert is free and will stay on your credit file for one year. The alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that the creditor contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any of the three credit reporting agencies identified above. Additional information is available at http://www.annualcreditreport.com.
How do I put a security freeze on my credit reports?
You have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans and services from being approved in your name without your consent. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency. You may make that request by certified mail, overnight mail, or regular stamped mail, or online by following the instructions found at the websites listed below. You will need to provide the following information when requesting a security freeze (note that if you are making a request for your spouse, this information must be provided for him/her as well): (1) full name, with middle initial and any suffixes; (2) Social Security number; (3) date of birth; and (4) address. You may also be asked to provide other personal information such as your email address, a copy of a government-issued identification card, and a copy of a recent utility bill or bank or insurance statement. It is essential that each copy be legible, display your name and current mailing address, and the date of issue. There is no charge to place, lift, or remove a freeze.
Equifax Security Freeze PO Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348 1-800-685-1111 www.equifax.com | Experian Security Freeze PO Box 9554 Allen, TX 75013 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com | TransUnion (FVAD) PO Box 2000 Chester, PA 19022 1-800-909-8872 www.transunion.com |
What should I do if my family member’s information was involved in the incident and is deceased?
You may choose to notify the three major credit bureaus, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, and request they flag the deceased credit file. This will prevent the credit file information from being used to open credit. To make this request, mail a copy of your family member’s death certificate to each company at the addresses below.
EquifaxEquifax Information ServicesP.O. Box 105169,Atlanta, GA 30348 | ExperianExperian Information ServicesP.O. Box 9701Allen, TX 75013 | TransUnionTrans Union Information ServicesP.O. Box 2000Chester, PA 19022 |
What should I do if my minor child’s information is involved in the incident?
You can request that each of the three national credit reporting agencies perform a manual search for a minor’s Social Security number to determine if there is an associated credit report. Copies of identifying information for the minor and parent/guardian may be required, including birth or adoption certificate, Social Security card and government-issued identification card. If a credit report exists, you should request a copy of the report and immediately report any fraudulent accounts to the credit reporting agency. You can also report any misuse of a minor’s information to the FTC at https://www.identitytheft.gov/. For more information about Child Identity Theft and instructions for requesting a manual Social Security number search, visit the FTC website: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0040-child-identity-theft. Contact information for the three national credit reporting agencies may be found above.