Carlsbad, CA – May 15, 2023 – Fertility Specialists Medical Group (“FSMG”) notified certain current and former patients that their personal information may have been accessed as part of cybersecurity incident. FSMG takes the privacy and security of information in its possession very seriously and sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience thlsis incident may cause. This notice is intended to alert potentially impacted individuals of the incident, steps we are taking in response, and resources available to assist and protect individuals.
What Happened On March 20, 2023, FSMG was the victim of a cyber security incident that involved an unauthorized party gaining access to our network environment. Upon discovering the incident, we immediately engaged third-party forensic specialists to assist us with securing the network environment and investigating the extent of any unauthorized activity. Our investigation, which concluded on April 21, 2023, determined an unauthorized third party may have acquired certain individual personal and health information during this incident. FSMG is providing written notice to all impacted individuals. FSMG has no reason to believe that any individual’s information has been misused as a result of this event. As of this writing, FSMG has not received any reports of misuse of information and/or related identity theft since the date the incident was discovered (March 20, 2023 to present).
What Information Was Involved Again, we found no evidence that patient information has been specifically misused. However, the following information was potentially exposed to an unauthorized third party: first and last name, date of birth, social security number, and medical information. Notably, not every individual’s Social Security number was exposed.
What We Are Doing Security and privacy of patient data is among FSMG’s highest priorities. Upon detecting this incident we moved quickly to initiate a response, which included retaining third-party IT specialists to confirm the security of our network environment. We are constantly reviewing our technical safeguards to prevent a similar incident. We are committed to helping those people who may have been impacted by this unfortunate situation.
The notification letter to the potentially impacted individuals includes steps that they can take to protect their information. In order to address any concerns and mitigate any exposure or risk of harm following this incident, FSMG has arranged for complimentary credit monitoring services and identity theft protection services to all potentially impacted individuals at no cost to them for a period of twelve months. FSMG recommends that individuals enroll in the services provided and follow the recommendations contained within the notification letter to ensure their information is protected.
For More Information For individuals seeking more information or questions about this incident, please call FSMG’s dedicated toll-free helpline at 1-833-570-3088 on Monday through Friday between 8:00 am to 8:00 pm PDT, excluding holidays. In addition, individuals may visit FSMG’s website for more information at https://ivfspecialists.com.
FSMG sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience this incident may cause to members of its community and remains dedicated to maintaining the security and protection of all patient information in its control.