RIBridges Cyberattack Hotline Established

Deloitte, the company responsible for the system compromised by the RIBridges cyberattack stealing personal data for anyone receiving or applying for RI health coverage or health & human services programs or benefits, has set up a multilingual RIBridges cyberattack hotline.

The hotline,  833-918-6603, which the state vendor contracted with Experian to run, opened Sunday. The hotline is open Mondays through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Gov. Dan McKee’s office reports.

RIBridges cyberattack call center staff will be able to provide general information about the breach as well as steps customers can take now to protect their data. Sicee the analysis of the data involved is still happening, call center staff will not be able to confirm whether a particular individual’s data is or is not included in the breach at this time.

  Once the impacted individuals are identified, they will be mailed a letter with the information they need to secure free credit monitoring services.

“As a reminder, to the best of our knowledge, any individual who has received or applied for health coverage and/or health and human services programs or benefits could be impacted by this breach. The programs and benefits managed through the RIBridges system include but are not limited to:

• Medicaid
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)
• Health coverage purchased through HealthSource RI
• Rhode Island Works (RIW)
• Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS)
• General Public Assistance (GPA) Program
• At HOME Cost Share

Saturday, Governor McKee held a press conference to urge those who may be impacted by the RIBridges cyberattack to take immediate steps to safeguard their personal information.

Those steps include but are not limited to requesting a credit freeze from the three credit bureaus, signing up for free credit monitoring, and implementing a two-step verification process (dual-factor authentication) for all your financial accounts. EBT fraud prevention tips are available at dhs.ri.gov/resources (Resources | RI Department of Human Services).

RIBridges Cyberattack: Credit freeze requests

Experian, one of the credit reporting agencies, has posted phone numbers to request a credit freeze directly and quickly with a human operator. Applying online requires creating an account, then using an automated system and specific recall of financial accounts and transactions. The experian info is posted below:

For the latest information on the breach and steps you can take to protect your data today, visit cyberalert.ri.gov (RIBridges Alert | RI Department of Administration).

Author: Rob Borkowski

Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.