Data breach reported at Karmanos Cancer Center

More than 2,000 Karmanos patients and family members have been affected by a data breach involving an unencrypted flash drive lost in the mail, said medical center officials.

The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Center is in the process of contacting 2,808 patients and family members of patients who sought treatment at the facility’s Detroit and Farmington Hills locations, officials said Friday in a press release. Letters were mailed Thursday.

The flash drive in question did not contain social security numbers, credit card numbers, financial information, dates of birth, home addresses or phone numbers, officials said. Fraudulent or criminal activity is not suspected and the risks associated are believed to be minimal.

But Karmanos is offering those affected one year of free identify protection services, officials said.

The flash drive contained administrative information stemming from a system upgrade: patient names, unique Karmanos patient numbers and the names of attending physicians. The device was last seen in an envelope mailed to the Karmanos Cancer Center but when the mailing arrived, the flash drive was missing.

Karmanos has “taken additional steps” to address the incident and to prevent similar breaches in the future, officials said. The center continues to search for the missing flash drive.

Patients and their families who have been notified of the breach should call (844) 778-5948, toll-free. Representatives will be available to assist with questions Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

hfournier@detroitnews.com

(313) 223-4616

@HollyPFournier