The Rhode Island Attorney General's office is investigating the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority's handling of a data breach that's affecting thousands of past and present state employees.
Kristy dosReis, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Peter Neronha, said the office was "reviewing this incident to determine whether the entities involved have complied with state laws regarding notification and safeguarding of personal information in their custody."
The attorney general's office was notified about the breach on Dec. 23, dosReis said, and has been receiving a "high call volume."
Data breach:More than 5,000 people affected by security breach of RIPTA health plan.
More than 17,000 people in Rhode Island were affected by a breach of RIPTA's computer network in August, according to letters that victims received this week. Many of the individuals who had their personal data stolen had never worked for RIPTA or interacted with the transit agency, raising the question of why their information was on RIPTA's network.
Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, told The Providence Journal that she was among the victims of the breach, and similarly wondered how RIPTA had obtained her information.
"I haven't been on a bus for almost a decade," she said.
Ajello said she sought an explanation and was told that UnitedHealthcare had been sending bills for all state employees' health claims to RIPTA — leaving it up to the transit agency to sort...
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