North Platte, NE — West Central District Health Department (“WCDHD”) announces a data incident that may have affected a limited number of individuals’ information that may have affected a limited number of individuals’ information. WCDHD recently discovered unusual activity on its network and began an investigation, which included working with third-party specialists to determine the nature and scope of the activity.
The investigation determined there was unauthorized access to certain portions of the network between May 18, 2023 and May 23, 2023. Therefore, WCDHD conducted a review of the potentially impacted information to determine the type of information and to who it related. On September 18, 2023, WCDHD completed its review and continued locating address information for individuals. The type of information identified included name and the following: Social Security number, driver’s license/state ID number, or financial account number. In response to this incident, WCDHD changed account passwords and reviewed its policies and procedures related to data protection.
In an abundance of caution, WCDHD is offering potentially affected individuals access to complimentary credit monitoring and identity protection services. These services will be provided by Cyberscout through Identity Force, a TransUnion company specializing in fraud assistance and remediation services. To obtain more information about this incident or enroll in these services, individuals should contact WCDHD’s dedicated assistance line at 1-800-405-6108, Monday through Friday, 7 am – 7 pm CT, excluding holidays.
Individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud by reviewing credit reports/account statements and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity and to detect errors. Individuals may also place a fraud alert or credit freeze by contacting the credit reporting agencies: TransUnion 1-800-680-7289; Experian 1-888-397-3742; Equifax 1-888-298-0045.
