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If you've already had a late bill in a Quest Diagnostics office, it's time to be more vigilant about your financial records. Yes, there was another data breach.
This particular breach of a collection agency working with Quest Diagnostics could have revealed 11.9 million medical and financial information about patients.
In a statement released yesterday, Quest explained that the American American Collection Collection Agency (AMCA), used by Quest, had notified the confirmed infringement on May 31. The information presented does not include the results of laboratory tests, but may also contain financial data. Security numbers and medical information.
Quest is participating in an investigation with the collection company and has stopped sending accounts to AMCA for recoveries. AMCA has closed its payments on the Web and uses a third party provider to facilitate payments in the meantime, according to Bloomberg.
It is too early to say if your recordings were compromised, as Quest's statement stated that it has not yet received such information from AMCA to verify them.
What to do until you find out more
Whether you think your files may have been affected or the mere mention of a data breach makes you nervous, this is a good time to check your records with the three credit reporting agencies.
Experian, TransUnion and Equifax allow you all to freeze and unlock your credit for free; it would be up to you to decide to freeze your accounts even if you have not been to a Quest office in your entire life. Freezing your credit does not completely cut you off from the vast world of financial services, but allows you to better control your credit accounts. Freezing your credit prevents lenders from checking your credit, which would make it more difficult for someone to use your personal information to open a new line of credit on your behalf.
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But that does not prevent someone from abusing financial accounts that you already have because this information could always be revealed by a breach or even if someone was passing your wallet (which at this point in history looks like a crime of a simpler time). Monitor your bank statements and credit reports carefully. If you think your identity has become vulnerable to something fishy, report it to the Federal Trade Commission.
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