BCBSRI Wellness Fair Breach Notification

Blue Cross & Blue Shield Rhode Island (BCBSRI), a nonprofit hospital and medical services corporation which provides and/or administers health coverage in accordance with the State of Rhode Island’s (State) health plan, recently reported a security incident involving protected health information (PHI) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) of approximately 50 unidentifiable BCBSRI members who are current State employees.  On May 1, 2026, BCBSRI, through its vendor, The Wellness Company, held a wellness fair at the Rhode Island Training School, located at 57 Power Road in Cranston.  At the wellness fair, State employees voluntarily participated in biometric screenings to help them identify health issues.

Following the wellness fair, BCBSRI informed the State that The Wellness Company reported that a locked briefcase containing approximately 50 consent forms of members participating in the wellness fair was taken from a Wellness Company employee’s parked car.  The car was not parked on State property.  The consent forms contained the members’ full name, date of birth, BCBSRI member identification number, age, gender identity, as well as results taken from biometric screenings.  The results included blood pressure and cholesterol readings, body fat percentages, and body mass index (BMI) figures.  The employee reported the incident to The Wellness Company and to law enforcement by filing a police report.

To date, BCBSRI has not reported any instances of  identity theft of any of its members resulting from this incident.  If you have questions about whether you may have been impacted, BCBSRI’s customer service line is available to receive calls at the following toll-free number:  (866) 987-3705.  The customer service line availability is as follows (all times listed in Eastern Standard Time (EST), UTC−05:00):

Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Saturday: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Holidays (including Saturday, July 4, 2026):  Closed
Note: On Friday, July 3, 2026, the customer service line will be available 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM 

State employees who are also BCBSRI members can implement any of the following best practices for protection against identity theft:

1. Monitor Your Accounts – Always look out for signs of identity theft. Review your account statements, credit reports, and explanations of insurance benefits for unusual activity and to detect errors. Any charges or other activity that you do not recognize should be immediately reported to your insurance company, health care provider, and/or financial institution. Additionally: 

• Change your passwords; and 
• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA). This should require a one-time passcode via text message, email, or an authenticator app in addition to password. 

2. Credit Freeze (also called Security Freeze) – You can place a “credit freeze” (also called a “security freeze”) on your credit report for free. Credit freezes must be placed with each of the three credit bureaus:  Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Contact information for each of the credit bureaus are provided below. 

• A credit freeze restricts access to your credit report and helps protect you from fraud. When you place a credit freeze, creditors cannot access your credit report. This will prevent loans and any new credit from being approved in your name. 
• If you freeze your credit, you will still be able to use your credit card. 
• You can lift the freeze at any time. 

To place a freeze by phone or mail, you may need to provide full name, Social Security number, date of birth, current address and sometimes previous addresses, along with a copy of a government-issued ID like a driver's license.  You can learn more about credit freezes at the following website: www.usa.gov/credit-freeze

Credit Rating Agencies

3. Identity Theft Reporting – Please note that you have the right to file a police report if you ever experience identity theft or fraud, but you will likely need to provide proof that you have been a victim. Further, you may report instances of known or suspected identity theft to the Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General, Consumer Protection Unit 150 South Main Street, Providence, RI 02903, 1-401-274-4400, www.riag.ri.gov. 

4. Free Credit Reports – Additionally, under U.S. law, you are entitled to one free credit report once every 12 months from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. To order a free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call, toll-free, 1-877-322-8228. You may additionally reach out to the three primary credit reporting agencies listed below to request a complimentary copy of your credit report.  

5. Fraud Alerts – You have the right to place an initial or extended “fraud alert” on a credit file for free for one year. If you place a fraud alert, a business is required to take steps to verify your identity before extending new credit. If you are the victim of identity theft, you can get an extended fraud alert for 7 years. You can contact any of the 3 major credit reporting bureaus listed below to place such fraud alerts. If you ask one credit bureau to place a fraud alert on your file, they will report it to the remaining 2 credit bureaus for you. 

6. Further Information – Consumers may further educate themselves regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, credit freezes, and the steps they can take to protect their personal information by contacting the consumer reporting bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission, or their state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission may be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20580; www.identitytheft.gov; 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338); and TTY: 1-866-653-4261.  The Federal Trade Commission also encourages those who discover that their information has been misused to file a complaint with them. Consumers can obtain further information on how to file such a complaint by using the contact information listed above.