Dear Member
SAMWUMED (“the Scheme”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information entrusted to it.
In accordance with Section 22 of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”), the Scheme, together with its former administration platform service provider, MIP Holdings (Pty) Ltd (“MIP”), is investigating a breach of data that may have affected certain of the Scheme members’ personal information.
What happened?
MIP has informed SAMWUMED that it recently identified a cyber security incident involving unauthorised access to its Jira system environment (a support system to log service queries), which could negatively affect SAMWUMED members’ personal information.
Certain historical members’ information that was stored in the MIP legacy environment had not been deleted, in accordance with their contractual obligations. The Scheme is engaging with MIP regarding its contractual obligations and ongoing forensic investigation is underway.
What personal information may have been affected?
The information that was reported by MIP to the Scheme, that may have been accessed is the following:
- Members’ and dependents’ names;
- Members’ and dependents’ surnames;
- Historical SAMWUMED membership numbers; and
- Treating doctors’ details
At this stage, there is no evidence that any other information was accessed. The investigation remains ongoing, and should any material changes arise, the affected members will be informed accordingly.
What members should be aware of:
Although the information involved is limited, there is a potential risk that the information could be used for phishing attempts, including but not limited to:
- Impersonation of members using historical membership information;
- Attempted fraudulent medical scheme claims; and
- other forms of unauthorised misuse of members’ personal information.
Whilst the Scheme is closely monitoring any suspicious or fraudulent claims activity, we urge members to always be vigilant by checking their claims statements, and report any suspected fraudulent activities on their membership to the SAMWUMED Fraud Hotline number: 082 450 9539.
We recognise our responsibilities as the responsible party under POPIA and remain committed to protecting our members’ personal information.
Thanking you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
SAMWUMED
