Class Action Filed Over November 2023 Air Methods Data Breach [UPDATE]

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Air Methods Corporation faces a proposed class action after a November 2023 data breach reportedly exposed the private information of approximately 34,000 current and former patients.

Did you receive a data breach letter from Air Methods? Let us know here.

According to the 61-page data breach lawsuit, a laptop was stolen from an Air Methods billing office that was broken into on November 9, 2023. The air ambulance services provider later determined that the laptop, which has not been recovered, held files containing patient information, the complaint says.

An online notice posted by the defendant reveals that the incident may have compromised consumers’ names, contact information, health insurance data and medical treatment details. A “small number of patients” reportedly had their Social Security numbers stolen, the notice says.

The complaint argues that the breach stemmed from Air Methods’ failure to implement and follow adequate data security protocols. Per the suit, the company left patients’ data unencrypted and stored on its computer systems “in a condition vulnerable to cyberattacks.”

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The case claims Air Methods knew, or should have known, that its data security obligations were particularly important since cyberattacks have become a growing and persistent threat in recent years to healthcare entities that store personal information.

“As a result of the Data Breach, [the plaintiff] and class members have been exposed to a heightened and imminent risk of fraud and identity theft,” the suit shares. “[The plaintiff] and class members must now and in the future closely monitor their financial accounts to guard against identity theft.”

The plaintiff, a Florida resident who received services from Air Methods in 2014, says she was mailed a notice letter from the defendant on February 22, 2024 informing her that her private information was exposed in the breach. The filing claims that since the incident transpired, Capital One has notified the woman that her data is being traded on the dark web, and the plaintiff has experienced an increase in spam calls, texts and emails.

The lawsuit looks to represent anyone in the United States whose private information was compromised in the data breach announced by Air Methods in January 2024.

Did you receive a data breach letter from Air Methods? Let us know here.