Millions of Americans have now been exposed to bank data leak after bad actors breached the systems of a Utah-based fintech firm.
According to a report by Health Equity, an administrator of health savings accounts (HSAs), has disclosed a security incident to the Office of the Maine Attorney General.
The incident resulted in unauthorized access to or disclosure of the sensitive data belonging to approximately 4.3 million of Health Equity’s customers.
This data breach at Health Equity, a prominent HSA provider, is concerning as it involves the potential compromise of sensitive financial and personal information belonging to millions of individuals who have entrusted the company with their health savings accounts.
The disclosure to the Maine Attorney General’s office indicates that Health Equity is taking steps to report and address this security breach in accordance with applicable data privacy and protection regulations.
However, the scale of the incident, involving the data of 4.3 million customers, suggests this could have significant implications for those affected individuals.
According to the report, the data that was stolen may include a customer’s:
- First and last name
- Address
- Telephone number
- Employee ID
- Name of employer
- Social security number
- Dependent information
- Payment card information
“We learned during our investigation that a vendor’s user accounts – which had access to an online data storage location – were compromised, and that because of this, an unauthorized party was able to access a limited amount of data stored in a storage location outside our core systems,” the company stated.
For now, HealthEquity says it does not believe any customer information captured in the hack has been used maliciously.
The firm is offering victims a two-year complimentary credit identity, monitoring, insurance and restoration services.
HealthEquity also recommends that its members routinely review their financial statements and credit reports for suspicious activities.
HealthEquity is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS)-designated non-bank health savings trustee with 16 million members nationwide.
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Also Read: The US Treasury Direct is Now Freezing Customer Accounts
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Wells Fargo is now under federal investigation over issues in its anti-money laundering and sanctions programs, the bank said.
The company did not specify which government was inquiring about its practices, nor did it give details about the issues that were being probed, per Reuters.
“Government authorities have been conducting inquiries or investigations regarding issues related to the company’s [AML] and sanctions programs.”
However, Wells Fargo said it is in discussions with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve an investigation into the cash sweep options that the bank provides to investment advisory clients, according to the filing.
The company revealed the probe in an SEC filing in November.
Wells Fargo added in its most recent disclosure that, “There can be no assurance as to the outcome of these discussions.”
The bank offered no further details about which agencies are conducting the investigations, or what the issues are.
A company spokesperson declined to comment beyond the filing, reports the outlet.
Since September 2016, WFC faced significant challenges with numerous penalties and sanctions, including a cap on the asset position by the Federal Reserve.
Last week, Wells Fargo faced a class action lawsuit alleging that it mismanaged its employee health insurance plan, forcing thousands of U.S.-based employees to overpay for prescription medications.
This lawsuit action seeks statutory fines and unspecified damages on behalf of a nationwide class of WFC health plan participants and beneficiaries, which may number in tens of thousands.
In June 2024, WFC faced a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the bank for taking part in a $300-million Ponzi scheme.
This scheme affected more than 1,000 investors, mainly senior citizens, and left them without substantial life savings.
The lawsuit filed stated that Wells Fargo knew about the fraudulent activities from 2011 to 2021, and the company provided substantial assistance to the perpetrators while reaping benefits from the scam.
Also Read: A Massive US Bank is Now Closing Credit Cards
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