HARTFORD, Ct. — Aetna is alerting nearly 5,000 policy holders in New Jersey and Pennsylvania it has recovered a discarded filing cabinet containing Social Security numbers and other personal information. The cabinet, thrown away when the insurer moved out of an office in March, contained health plan dependents’ enrollment forms from 2003 to 2007. The forms were from people...
In this 2008 file photo, a woman strides past the Hartford, Conn., headquarters of Aetna, Inc. HARTFORD, Ct. — Aetna is alerting nearly 5,000 policy holders in New Jersey and Pennsylvania it has recovered a discarded filing cabinet containing Social Security numbers and other personal information.
The cabinet, thrown away when the insurer moved out of an office in March, contained health plan dependents’ enrollment forms from 2003 to 2007. The forms were from people who worked for mid-size employers and had requested Aetna add or change coverage, Aetna spokeswoman Cynthia Michener said today. The enrollment forms include names, addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth.
Of the 4,900 people affected, 1,541 live in New Jersey, Michener said.
The vendor hired to move Aetna from an office in Blue Bell, Pa., discarded the filing cabinet with other surplus furniture on March 29.
“The person who obtained the cabinet found Aetna documents in it, contacted us and returned the documents on May 28," Michener said.
“The company has no reason to believe the information will be misused in any manner," she added. “Nonetheless, the company is offering the affected individuals free credit monitoring to provide peace of mind."
Anyone with questions about the documents can call Aetna at (888) 261-2042.