Diabetes WA recently experienced a cyber incident, which resulted in a third-party gaining access to the personal information of some of our contacts.
This breach was quickly detected and fully contained. It is under investigation through Diabetes WA’s Cyber Security Response Plan.
We can confirm that no detailed medical records or detailed clinical information were accessed.
Diabetes WA has sent a communication to all affected individuals of this incident. We have also notified the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner of this incident.
Based on our investigation, we understand that personal information may have been affected by the incident including the following details:
Name – Address – DOB – Email – Telephone number – Marital Status – Aboriginal Status – Medicare Number – Referring doctor – Type of diabetes
We recommend that those affected apply for a replacement Medicare card number from Services Australia. Your replacement card will have a new issue number and expiry date and your old card will no longer be valid. You can do this by:
- Signing in to your myGov account, selecting “Get a Replacement” and following the prompts; or
- Calling Services Australia on 132 011.
Some further steps you may consider taking to protect yourself include:
- Be aware of emails and telephone calls from people requesting your personal details, (especially things like your date of birth, residential address, email address, username or passwords which are often used to verify your identity).
- Contact IDCare on 1800 595 160 or visit www.idcare.org who can provide you with additional guidance on the steps you can take to protect yourself from identity fraud.
- If you start to receive unwanted telemarketing calls, consider registering your number with the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s ‘Do Not Call register’ by visiting www.donotcall.gov.au/consumers/register-your-numbers You can also contact your service provider and request to change your number.
If you have any concerns about what has happened or would like further information, you can contact the Diabetes WA Privacy Officer at privacy@diabeteswa.com.au or call our helpline on 1300 001 880.
