Impostor sends phony CEO email, tricks healthcare provider into releasing employee data
A rehabilitation and nursing home healthcare provider in California has announced it mistakenly sent employee information to someone impersonating its CEO via email.
Magnolia Health Corporation (MHC) said it released a spreadsheet containing the names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, salary information and other employment details of every active MHC employee in response to an email originally believed to be sent from company CEO Kenny Moyle on Feb. 3.
A week later, it was discovered that no such request was made by Moyle, causing MHC to alert its employees to the information breach.
“We have reported this matter to law enforcement,” the company said in a letter to all employees, “and we are taking steps to ensure that no unauthorized disclosures will occur in the future.”
Those steps include providing fraud monitoring assistance and complimentary identity theft prevention services for all MHC employees.
While the perpetrator behind the incident has yet to be identified, the company said it will continue to work with local authorities “to learn the identity of the individual(s) responsible so that they can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”