Optimum Health Solutions (OHS)

Cyber Incident

Optimum Health Solutions (OHS) experienced a cyber security incident involving unauthorised access to our former IT service provider’s systems. Our investigation has found that this incident has resulted in the disclosure of some of Optimum Health Solutions’ data online.

Since discovery of the data disclosure, we have been working as a priority to determine what information was involved, to ensure we can provide appropriate support and advice to any individuals who may have been affected.

If you have received a notification from OHS, please review the information contained in the notification closely and get in touch with us if you have any further questions.

If you have not received a notification and have questions about whether any of your information may have been involved, we encourage you to reach out to us at [email protected].

OHS remains committed to supporting our staff and clients through this process. We provide guidance on the steps you can take to protect your information against potential misuse below.

Once again, we would like to thank our staff and clients for your ongoing understanding and support during this time. We understand this news will be concerning and we apologise for any distress caused.

Steps can you take to protect your information

General guidance

If you have concerns about the incident (or your information more generally), below are some precautionary steps you can take to protect your information against potential misuse:

be aware of email, telephone and text-based scams. Do not share personal information with anyone unless confident about who you are sharing it with;
remain alert for any phishing scams that may come to you by phone, post or email;
when on a webpage asking for your login credentials, take note of the web address or URL (‘Uniform Resource Locator’). The URL is located in the address bar of your web browser and typically starts with https://;
if you are suspicious of the URL, do not provide your login details. Contact the entity through the usual channels to ensure you are logging into the correct web page. Please note that we will never contact you to ask for your username or password;
enable multi-factor authentication for your online accounts where possible, including your email, banking, and social media accounts;
ensure you have up-to-date anti-virus software installed on any device you use to access your online accounts;
review your recent transaction history and bank statements for any suspicious activity. Contact your bank in the instances where suspicious activity is identified;
follow the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch guidance for protecting yourself from scams here: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/get-help/protect-yourself-from-scams/; and
for more information, visit the OAIC’s tips for further guidance about protecting your identity:
https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/tips-to-protect-your-privacy/ and
https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/data-breaches/data-breach-support-and-resources/.

Health Information

If you have concerns about any health information related to the services that OHS provides to you and you have not received a notification statement, please contact us via email at [email protected]. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.

For context, cyber-criminals typically seek to misuse information that can be easily manipulated for financial gain (such as credit cards and identity documents for identity theft). For this reason, health information by itself is generally not useful to a cyber-criminal.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) number

If you have concerns about a NDIS number that you may have provided to OHS and have not received a notification statement, please contact us on our cyber security incident email. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.

Any unauthorised access to your NDIS number does not affect its validity and it can still be used it for its intended purpose.

If you are concerned about the security of your NDIS account, please visit the National Disability Insurance Agency’s website https://www.ndis.gov.au/about-us/policies/privacy/protecting-your-personal-information-after-data-breach for more information on how you can protect your personal information after a data breach.

Aged Care Identification Number

If you have concerns about an Aged Care identification number that you may have provided to OHS and have not received a notification statement, please contact us on our cyber security incident email. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.

Any unauthorised access to a copy of your Aged Care identification number does not affect its validity and it can still be used it for its intended purpose.

Your Aged Care identification number can be used to access the Aged Care portal however, this requires both your Aged Care identification number and your password. We do not collect your password. Where an Aged Care identification number has been accessed by an unauthorised third party, you may want to consider changing your password on the Aged Care portal.

If you are concerned about the security of your Aged Care identification number and associated account, please visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/databreach for more information on how you can protect your personal information after a data breach.

Veteran File Number

If you have concerns about a Veteran File Number that you may have provided to OHS and have not received a notification statement, please contact us on our cyber security incident email. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.

Any unauthorised access to your Veteran File Number does not affect its validity and will have no impact on the services you receive from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA).

If you have any concerns, please contact the DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) (available 8am to 5pm AEST Monday to Friday). You can also visit the DVA’s scam advice page on the DVA website for further information and support: https://www.dva.gov.au/newsroom/vetaffairs/vetaffairs-vol-37-no2-july-2021/beware-scams.

Centrelink Reference Number (CRN)

If you have concerns about a Centrelink Reference Number (CRN) that you may have provided to OHS and have not received a notification statement, please contact us on our cyber security incident email. We can assist you by verifying if any of your information was involved.

To reassure you, your CRN by itself cannot be used as a proof of identity. You do not need to request a replacement Centrelink concession card (if you have one).

If you are concerned about the security of your Centrelink account, you can contact Services Australia to add a verbal password. To increase the security of your online accounts, please consider using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.

Please visit www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/databreach for more information on how you can protect your personal information after a data breach.

Q: I think I need a credit report or ban, where can I go to get one?

You can apply for an annual free credit report from one of the consumer Credit Reporting Agencies below.

You can also consider contacting the below credit reporting bodies to place a temporary ban on your credit report. This means that they will not be able to share your credit report with credit providers without your consent for 21 days (unless extended).

NAME	WEBSITE
Illion	https://www.creditcheck.illion.com.au/
Equifax	https://www.equifax.com.au/personal/products/equifax-credit-report
Experian	http://www.experian.com.au/consumer-reports

Q: Who can I contact for more information about cyber security and protecting my online identity?

Additional general resources on identity and cyber security support can be found here:

Q: I have more questions – who can I talk to?

We have a dedicated service team available to answer any questions. You can contact them on [email protected] and a team member will contact you.

REFerrers Hub

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