Monday, November 10, 2008

Letter sent out by Medical Mutual re: Lost computer disks

Medical Mutual of Ohio
November 5, 2008
Dear____ :
You might have read in the newspaper that Medical Mutual has reason to believe that a recent mailing of computer disks to the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS Ohio) might have been lost or compromised within the US postal system. This mailing contained the personal information of some of STRS Ohio's health plan enrollees. You are receiving this letter because your name and/or your dependent's name, your Social Security number and recent claim costs were included on one of the disks. The disk did not include any mention of medical conditions or treatments.
We are sorry if you first heard about this situation through the news media rather than directly from us, but we wanted to act quickly in sharing this information to reassure the public we are doing all we can to resolve this matter. We are aggressively investigating and will do everything we can to find the disks.
In the meantime, we have arranged for you to enroll, at no cost, in an online credit monitoring service provided by TransUnion, one of the three major credit reporting agencies. This service will provide you with one year of unlimited access to your credit reports and credit scores. The service includes daily monitoring by all three credit agencies, which will notify you if there are any critical changes to your credit files, including fraudulent activity, new inquiries, new accounts, new public records, late payments, change of address and more. The service also includes up to $25,000 in identity theft protection with $0 deductible. (Certain limitations and exclusions may apply.)
To enroll in this service, go to the TransUnion Web site at http://www.truecredit.com/code and in the space referenced as gift certificate code, enter (Code). Then follow the simple steps to enroll. You can sign up for this service anytime between now and January 30, 2009, using the gift certificate code noted above.
If you do not have access to the Internet, you may enroll in a similar paper-based, three-bureau credit monitoring service by calling the TransUnion Fraud Response Services hotline at (telephone number), Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET. Please use the following six-digit pass code, (Code), when prompted. The pass code will be valid until January 30, 2009. (Unfortunately, due to privacy laws, Medical Mutual cannot register you directly.)
In addition, we recommend you regularly review charges to your band and credit card accounts and alert these companies if you see unusual transactions.
We are establishing more stringent procedures to reduce the potential for this type of situation to happen again. We take our members' privacy very seriously, and we appreciate your understanding and assistance as we work to resolve this situation. If you have any questions, please call Medical Mutual at 800/854-8139.
Sincerely,
Kent W. Clapp
Chairman, CEO and President
2060 East Ninth Street•Cleveland, Ohio 44115-1355
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