Genuine Care Dental recently experienced a data security incident that affected patient health information.

What happened?
On January 16, 2020, one of our staff members discovered that our office had been burglarized. The burglar stole a server that contained patient information. We immediately notified the San Jose Police Department, which is investigating this incident.

What Information was Involved?
The server contained patient names, addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers, drivers’ license numbers, health insurance information, dental records, and some financial information including credit card numbers. While there was no loss of patient visit information, some imaging files taken between June 2019 and January 2020 are no longer available. The information on the stolen server was protected by multiple passwords. Although we have no evidence suggesting that your relevant personal information has been misused, we take our obligation to protect our patients’ information very seriously.

What we are doing.
Please be assured that we have taken every step necessary to address the incident, including upgrading our physical security and implementing additional technical safeguards to further protect patient information. We have also notified affected individuals for whom Genuine Dental Care has valid addresses by U.S. Mail. The notice included information on how to sign up for the identity theft protection and credit monitoring service provided by Genuine Dental Care at no cost to individuals affected by this incident.

What affected individuals can do.
As a standard practice, everyone should closely review benefits information from their health insurance provider, financial accounts, and credit reports for fraudulent activity. Under federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the three major nationwide credit reporting companies listed below. Call 1-877-322-8228 or make a request online at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Contact your local law enforcement agency if you have reason to believe that you are the victim of identity theft and file a police report, then request a copy of the report for your personal records. If you believe that your personal information has been misused, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or at (877) ID-THEFT. You can also obtain information from the FTC about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity theft.

For more information.
We at Genuine Smile Dental value our relationship with our patients and consider it an honor to be able to serve them. We sincerely apologize for this incident and regret any inconvenience it may cause individuals affected by this incident. We thank everyone for their patience and courtesy. Should you have questions or concerns regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to contact the toll-free hotline staffed with professionals familiar with this incident who can assist with questions and the steps individuals can take to protect against identity theft and fraud. The number for the toll-free hotline is (877) 769-5553.