Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana Leaks Sensitive Producer Info

By Anonymous

Producers who broker policies for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana received a surprise in their e-mail inboxes Sept. 25: a spreadsheet that contained all of their personal information including Social Security numbers.

The e-mail went out about 4 p.m. and was followed by another message 30 minutes later recalling the message. The spreadsheet contained personal information for 1,787 producers.

The next day, BCBS of Louisiana Chief Marketing Officer Mike Reitz contacted the producers by e-mail to inform them of an “accidental compromise” of their personal data.

His e-mail said the Blue Cross staff was preparing an e-mail for producers about a product launch when their personal data was inadvertently attached to the message.

The producers were asked to delete the e-mail messages in question and confirm their deletion online.

BCBS Louisiana also extended an offer of free credit monitoring for 12 months to the affected producers.

“We have taken steps to ensure this never happens again,” said John Maginnis, vice president of corporate communications.

Credit: CityBusiness Staff Reports

(Copyright 2008 Dolan Media Newswires)

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