In
August 2024,
Omni Family Health discovered someone claimed to have hacked into their systems and released their data to the
dark web. So far it is calculated that as many as
468,344 individuals (
patients and
past employees) may have had some of their personal information compromised. The compromised data may include:
- Names
- Addresses
- Social Security numbers
- Dates of birth
- Health insurance information
- Medical information
- And bank or financial data for employees (if applicable)
A number of individuals have filed
lawsuits related to the claim that
Omni did not secure their data properly and took too long to communicate what occurred.
Details of the $6.5 million settlement
Omni will pay
$6.5 million to resolve the lawsuit. Here’s how it is structured:
- Money will be used for legal and administrative fees.
- Eligible persons may receive up to $5,000 if they can demonstrate a monetary loss (e.g., fraud or identity theft).
- All persons in the class will receive two years of free credit monitoring to protect them.
- California residents may receive an additional $100.
- After costs, each person will likely receive about $105, but the amount paid depends on the number of persons who file a claim.
Omni also agreed to improve its security policies so that a data leak doesn’t happen again.
Why it matters
This is a big deal because health information is very sensitive.
When a healthcare company is hacked, a lot of sensitive personal information can be compromised. Because this data leak involved both patients and employees there were a lot of victims.
What steps should you taken if you are affected
If you believe your data may have been part of this breach, you should:
- Submit a claim prior to the deadline.
- Monitor your bank and medical records for any oddities.
- Benefit from the two free years of credit monitoring.
- Stay informed regarding the date of the court hearing.