Notice of Data Event

August 10, 2023 – EMS Management and Consultants, Inc. (“EMS|MC”) recently notified certain of its EMS agency customers of an incident that may have impacted the privacy of information related to certain patients. As we work toward notifying impacted individuals directly, we are providing information about the event, our response, and steps potentially impacted individuals can take to better protect against the possible misuse of their information should they feel it is appropriate to do so.

What Happened. On May 31, 2023, and again in June 2023, Progress Software Corp. publicly disclosed that its MOVEit Transfer tool had been compromised.  As a user of that tool, we moved quickly to patch the tool and undertook recommended mitigation steps.  We promptly launched an investigation, with the assistance of third-party cybersecurity specialists, to determine the potential impact of the issue on the security of data housed on the MOVEit Transfer server.  Our investigation, which is ongoing, determined that an unknown actor accessed the MOVEit Transfer server on May 30, 2023, and took certain data from the server during that time.  We subsequently engaged a third-party data analysis firm to perform a detailed review of the involved data to understand the contents of that data and to whom it relates. We learned that data related to this EMS agency was present on the impacted server at the time of the event.

What Information was Affected? The types of potentially impacted information for patients may include name and other data.

How Will Individuals Know If They Are Affected By This Incident? EMS|MC is mailing notice letters to individuals whose data may have been affected and for whom we have a valid mailing address.

What We are Doing. Information privacy and security are among our highest priorities.  EMS|MC has strict security measures in place to protect information in its care. Upon discovering this event, EMS|MC immediately took steps to protect the privacy and security of all customer and patient information and to confirm the scope of the incident.  Notice was also provided to federal law enforcement and will be provided to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

What Affected Individuals Can Do. Potentially affected individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing their account statements and explanation of benefits for unusual activity. Additional information can be found below in the Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information below and in the notification letters that will be sent to affected individuals.

For More Information. If you have questions, please call the dedicated assistance line established by EMS|MC at 833–318–2801. You may also write to EMS|MC at 2540 Empire Drive, Suite 100. Winston-Salem, NC 27103.

Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Information

Monitor your credit reports for suspicious or unauthorized activity. Under U.S. law, a consumer is entitled to one free credit report annually from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order your free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may also directly contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below to request a free copy of your credit report.

Place a fraud alert on your credit file. Consumers have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file at no cost. An initial fraud alert is a one-year alert that is placed on a consumer’s credit file. Upon seeing a fraud alert display on a consumer’s credit file, a business is required to take steps to verify the consumer’s identity before extending new credit. If you are a victim of identity theft, you are entitled to an extended fraud alert, which is a fraud alert lasting seven years. Should you wish to place a fraud alert, please contact any one of the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below.

Place a security freeze on your credit file. As an alternative to a fraud alert, consumers have the right to place a “credit freeze” on a credit report, which will prohibit a credit bureau from releasing information in the credit report without the consumer’s express authorization. The credit freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. However, you should be aware that using a credit freeze to take control over who gets access to the personal and financial information in your credit report may delay, interfere with, or prohibit the timely approval of any subsequent request or application you make regarding a new loan, credit, mortgage, or any other account involving the extension of credit. Pursuant to federal law, you cannot be charged to place or lift a credit freeze on your credit report. To request a security freeze, you will need to provide the following information:

1. Full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Addresses for the prior two to five years;
5. Proof of current address, such as a current utility bill or telephone bill;
6. A legible photocopy of a government-issued identification card (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, etc.); and
7. A copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft if you are a victim of identity theft.

Should you wish to place a fraud alert or credit freeze, please contact the three major credit reporting bureaus listed below:

Equifax	Experian	TransUnion
https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services/ 1-888-298-0045 Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069 Atlanta, GA 30348-5069 Equifax Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 105788 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788	https://www.experian.com/help/ 1-888-397-3742 Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013 Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013	https://www.transunion.com/credit-help 1-800-916-8800 TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016 TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Woodlyn, PA 19094

Additional Information

You may further educate yourself regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps you can take to protect your personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or your state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. You can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by way of the contact information listed above. You have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud. Please note that in order to file a report with law enforcement for identity theft, you will likely need to provide some proof that you have been a victim. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement and your state Attorney General. This notice has not been delayed by law enforcement.