Contact: Jennifer Bowen
(334) 269-3550

7/31/2023

The Alabama Department of Insurance wants consumers to be aware of a significant data breach that is impacting insurance companies and customers across the state and country.

The breach of MOVEit software, which provides cloud hosting and file transfer services, may expose personal information like Social Security numbers, mailing addresses and birthdates. The breach primarily impacts life, annuity and long-term care products.

The data of up to 612,000 Medicare beneficiaries across the country may also be compromised, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

When your personal information is compromised, criminals may use that information to fraudulently obtain credit in your name, among other illegal activities.

If your personal information is exposed due to cybersecurity events like the MOVEit attack, Alabama law requires that insurance companies notify the Alabama Insurance Commissioner and consumers whose personal information may have been compromised.

What should you do?

- If you have not received a notice, but are concerned, call your insurance company's customer service number.

- If you receive a notice from your insurer or CMS, read it right away and read it carefully. Your insurer may offer free credit monitoring for a time. Credit monitoring means that your credit report is being checked to see if someone opens a new account in your name or with your social security number. 

- Be careful if you get a call from someone claiming to be from your insurance company. It is unlikely that your insurance company will reach out to you by phone. Notices come the same way you get your invoices or other policy information - by mail and, if you have elected, by e-mail. If you get a call, you can hang up and call the company back using a trusted phone number that you already know belongs to the company. 

- Be careful of any offers, phone calls or emails you receive from other sources offering to assist you. Do not trust an offer that says it is from your insurance company but asks you to pay money or asks you for information that your insurance company should already have. That is a red flag. Hang up and call them back at a trusted phone number that you already know belongs to the company. 

- This list is not meant to be an exhaustive list. You may seek additional advice from your banking or financial providers, or governmental resources such as www.IndentityTheft.gov or the Social Security Administration at www.SSA.gov.

If you have any questions about the data breach and how it may impact your information with your insurance company, call the Alabama Department of Insurance’s Consumer Services Division at (800) 433-3966 or visit our website at www.aldoi.gov.

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