Valley residents who receive public assistance warned of HHS data breach
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A warning for those who receive public assistance, like SNAP benefits in Texas.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission says at least 61,000 food stamp recipients may have had their personal information improperly accessed by state employees.
The state says money from accounts may have been stolen.
Social security numbers, names, dates of birth, health, bank and insurance information were also breached. Along with information from Medicaid, Medicare and driver's licenses.
RELATED STORY: State employees suspected of stealing from low-income Texans' public assistance accounts
Lucia Caudillo in Edinburg had no idea about the information leak until a Channel 5 News team told her about it.
"I've been receiving several emails that my health insurance benefits are ready, telling me that they need more information, but I had no clue as to why I was getting these messages," Caudillo said. "In fact, this week, I was checking the balance on my SNAP benefits card and when I got to the store I wanted to pay, but couldn't even pay for half of what I was trying to buy."
She suspects she might have been a victim of the breach.
If anyone suspects they might have become a victim from this information leak, Texas HHS recommends checking the transactions on their Lone Star card for any fraudulent activity at yourtexasbenefits.com.
They should also call 211 and choose option 3 to report fraud to the office of the inspector general.
The state is also asking potential victims to report questionable charges to their health care providers, insurance companies and bank and to also contact law enforcement.
SNAP beneficiaries should also visit the nearest HHS benefits office to have those benefits replaced.