Cincinnati's largest chain of eye surgeons may have been hit with a data breach, according to employees who tell 9 On You Side they have been unable to file their taxes.
Cincinnati Eye Institute has sent a letter to all 500 employees informing them that personal information including Social Security Numbers may have been compromised, and offering them free ID theft protection.
The letter explains that "a number of employees" report their tax returns have been rejected by the IRS, because someone already filed taxes this year using their name and Social Security Number.
The only thing these people have in common, they say, is that they all work at CEI.
Beach May Have Happened at Third Party
CEI Vice President of Marketing Don Holmes tells 9 On Your Side that employee information may have been accessed through an outside vendor, such as a company that handles payroll or benefits.
CEI says its own internal investigation has determined that there was no breach of the company's systems, so that if there was any breach it happened elsewhere.
However it is offering free ID theft protection to all employees through the independent company. ProtectMyID.com.
No Patients Affected
Holmes also says it appears no patient accounts were affected, so that there is no need for patients or former patients to do anything.
Patients with any concerns can call the office for more information.
As always, don't waste your money.
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