Photo credit: Interior Health

By Pete McIntyre

20,000 names listed

Interior Health advising former employees about document found in police probe

Mar 7, 2024 | 3:20 PM

Interior Health is asking people that worked for them between 2003 and 2009 to call a toll-free number to find out if their personal information was part of a document recovered in an RCMP investigation.

Interior Health (IH) said the document provided to them has more than 20,000 names on it.

“In January, the Vernon North Okanagan RCMP informed IH about a document discovered during an investigation that contained personal information of individuals, including current and former employees of IH,” a news release from the health agency stated. “The information seized by police included names, dates of birth, social insurance numbers, home addresses, phone numbers, and the individuals’ age in 2009.”

No patient information was included in the document retrieved by RCMP.

IH has confirmed there are approximately 7,000 current employees listed and are taking steps to notify them. Due to the age of the data and its broad scope, IH is not able to accurately confirm the former employee information nor where the information came from.

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“Interior Health’s top priority is to ensure that personal information is always protected. We are reaching out to employees who worked for us during these years to ensure that if their information is involved, that they receive supports, including credit monitoring, if they are part of this investigation,” Brent Kruschel, IH vice president of digital health, said.

Anyone who was employed by IH between 2003 and 2009 is encouraged to call 1-833-705-2569 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. PDT Monday to Friday to determine if their information is in the document recovered by the RCMP, and if so for more information about steps they can take to protect their personal information. There is also additional information on the IH website at www.interiorhealth.ca/messageforIHstaff.

Vernon North Okanagan RCMP media relations officer, Const. Chris Terleski, said no arrests or charges have resulted in relation to the information.

“As part of the continuing investigation, we are releasing this information so potentially impacted individuals can take the necessary steps to safeguard themselves,” Terleski said. “It is a timely reminder that identity fraud continues to be a persistent threat in our community and brings to light the importance of taking proactive steps to safeguard yourself.”

In addition to working closely with the RCMP, IH hired external security experts to conduct a review of the situation.

“These external experts confirmed that this information is not on the dark web,” IH said.

Victims of fraud are encouraged to contact police to report the crime and report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) online or toll-free at 1-888-495-8501. If a financial loss did not occur, still report it to the CAFC.