Threat Management

Cincinnati Eye Institute staffers tax data possibly exposed

About 500 employees of a Cincinnati-based medical group specializing in eye surgery were told that some of their personal information may have been compromised.

How many victims? 500.

What type of information? Possible W-2 tax information.

What happened? The Cincinnati Eye Institute (CEI) has sent a letter to its employees saying personal information, including Social Security numbers, may have been compromised. The letter stated a number of employees have had their 2016 tax returns rejected by the IRS because someone else has already filed under that name and Social Security number. No patient accounts were affected.

What was the response? Those possibly affected have been notified and the CEI is offering credit monitoring services. The IRS and local law enforcement have been called and an internal investigation is taking place. Initial results point the finger at an outside vendor, CEI VP of Marketing Don Holmes told a local TV station. He added that there is no indication yet that the company's system was breached.

Quote: “Based on our investigation to date, we do not believe that CEI's systems have been impacted, and we do not believe any patient data has been compromised,” said Joe Callow Jr., a partner at the Cincinnati law firm Keating Muething & Klekamp.

Sources: Cincinnati Business Courier, WCPO

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