UnitedHealthcare data breach: Officials warning Texas residents about incident

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The UnitedHealth logo on a laptop arranged in New York, US, on Friday, July 7, 2023. UnitedHealth Group Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on July 14. Photographer: Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images

UnitedHealthcare (UHC) has announced a data security incident that involves the personal health information of certain Texas residents. 

According to a release, while th personal information accessed varied by individual, it may have included a combination of names, member ID number, plan type, and county and state of residency. 

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Officials said the breach did not involve the disclosure of social security numbers, driver's license numbers or any financial account information. 

Officials said on December 29, 2022, UHC discovered an unauthorized third party was able to access a UHC broker portal limited to certain parts of our business. UHC notified law enforcement and worked with them to investigate the matter. 

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Then On February 3, 2023, UHC confirmed the unauthorized party accessed information from the portal while attempting to divert funds intended for agents and/or brokers. Through its investigation, UHC determined the unauthorized third party was able to access certain personal information between December 1, 2022, and January 25, 2023.

UHC said they are, "committed to protecting our members’ and brokers’ information and maintaining the integrity of our systems. UHC placed additional safeguards on the UHC broker portal to help minimize the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future."

UHC said affected individuals are being notified. Any suspicious activity should immediately be reported to their health plan or other relevant institution. Additionally, a dedicated toll-free hotline has been established to help answer any questions and can be reached at 800-669-1812 Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CST.