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Protection provided to affected members of Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield following a vendor breach
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield announces support for members whose personal information was accessed through one of its vendors, Healthmine.
Healthmine hosts a portal used by members to access the Blue Wellness Rewards program. On August 26, 2024, Healthmine discovered that an unknown person(s) accessed the system to illegally redeem digital gift cards. The information exposed could include members’ names, addresses, email addresses, dates of birth and prescription histories. No social security numbers or financial information was involved.
Upon discovery of the unauthorized activity, Healthmine disabled the Rewards accounts and blocked certain internet domains believed to have been used to access the portal. Additional security measures have been implemented as well. Arkansas Blue Cross hired a forensic firm to assist with the investigation. Furthermore, Arkansas Blue Cross contacted law enforcement and is cooperating with their investigation.
While no evidence has been found that members are in danger of further misuse of their personal information, members who are affected will receive a letter from Arkansas Blue Cross outlining steps to help protect them from identity theft including an opportunity to enroll in a complimentary one-year membership with Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM. This service includes credit monitoring, identity restoration, IdentityWorks ExtendedCare™, and up to $1 million in identity theft insurance.
“We are taking the event very seriously,” said Max Greenwood, vice president of Government and Media Affairs for Arkansas Blue Cross. “We apologize for any inconvenience it has caused our members. At this point, investigators believe the goal of the person(s) responsible was to obtain gift cards, not identity theft. Still, we encourage members to take advantage of the services being offered through Experian.”
To enroll in Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM, affected members receiving a notification letter should call 833-931-7577.