DETROIT – After piles of medical records from Oakland Physical Therapy & Hand Rehabilitation clinics were found along a Detroit road, a security expert noted that anyone who thinks their information may have been exposed should act quickly.
The records included names, addresses, and insurance policy numbers from multiple clinics.
“It’s highly prudent that if you find out that your information has been exposed in any way, or there’s a slight risk of it, that you would do something to protect yourself,” said Matt Loria, CEO of Auxiom, an IT security company.
Loria said this incident appears to be a lower-level risk, since the records were exposed in only one area, but added that any loss of control over your personal information is a risk and should not be ignored.
He said one of the easiest ways to protect yourself after an incident like this is to use an identity protection service, “like a LifeLock-style service.”
“Basically, it’ll send you an alert through the app and email,” Loria said. “And they’ll even call you to let you know, like if a credit card was attempted to be open in your name or if information of yours was listed on the dark web that wasn’t before.”
If you can’t afford paid protection, like a LifeLock, the FTC says you may be eligible for a free credit report at annualcreditreport.com.
You can use that to monitor your credit and get an idea of whether someone is opening accounts in your name.
Local 4 also reached back out to the clinics’ attorney to ask how many documents were dumped and whether patients have been contacted.
We’re waiting to hear back.