Sharp.Com Has Acknowledged a Security Breach Involving the Personal Data of Their Patients

A San-Diego based Healthcare Provider, Sharp, has started notifying their 63,000 registered patients about a data breach that compromised their personal information.

Information such as patients’ names, invoice numbers, identification numbers, and transaction amounts were exposed in the file, but payment card details, Social Security Numbers, contact details, health insurance, and other extremely sensitive information were not exposed. There has been no indication of the illegal use of stolen information.

Sharp clarified that an attack targeted their website, but thankfully their “FollowMyHealth” patient portal was not affected. However, customers who paid their bills via the provider’s online payment service between August 12th, 2021, to January 12th, 2023, have been affected.

It will no doubt come as a surprise to those concerned, but the Sharp incident is not as serious as two other recent healthcare data breaches which impacted Scripps Health and UC San Diego Health.

At the start of 2021, UCSD informed approximately 500,000 affected patients that they had suffered a phishing attack in 2020 and the beginning of 2021. This attack may have exposed details such as addresses and dates of birth, prescription info, and even Social Security Numbers.

Sharp started sending out emails to customers affected by the issue. “We recommend that affected individuals review statements they receive from their healthcare providers. If they see charges for services they did not receive, they should contact the provider immediately,” suggested in the email.

The company has also created a toll-free helpline at (833) 753-3819 to answer customers’ questions. The helpline is available from 6 AM to 6 PM on weekdays.