SAN DIEGO – Many Scripps Health patients are finding out that their private information may have been leaked and stolen in a May 2021 hack, authorities confirmed to FOX 5 on Monday.

According to a letter sent out to patients within the Scripps Health network, on May 1, 2021, officials noticed unusual activities inside of the hospital system’s computers and learned that an individual or group had gained access into the network, deployed ransomware and took copies of documents containing private information.

Among the information taken during the hack, Scripps officials say names, addresses, birth dates, health insurance information, medical record numbers, patient account numbers and diagnosis/treatment information were acquired.

The company said in the letter it does not believe any information has been used to commit fraud and that they are working with federal officials while investigations continue. Scripps Corporate Compliance and Privacy Officer Taunya Juliano said the company is working to enhance its security measures to “help prevent something like this from happening again.”

Scripps Health officials released the following statement to FOX 5 regarding the hack and ongoing investigation:

“Scripps Health has continued to conduct an extensive and time-intensive investigation of the cybersecurity incident that occurred in early May 2021, which has included a manual review of documents involved in the incident. The recently concluded review determined that additional patient information was contained in those documents, and we are mailing notification letters to those newly identified individuals so they can take steps to protect their information. At this point, we have no indication that any of this data has been used to commit fraud.

Maintaining the confidentiality and security of our patients’ information is something we take very seriously, and we sincerely regret the concern this has caused our patients and community. We have continued to implement enhancements to our information security, systems, and monitoring capabilities, and are continuing to actively work with federal law enforcement to support their ongoing effort to investigate those responsible.”

A helpline has been established for patients who have any questions regarding this incident. You can call 855-535-1822 between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday to speak with a representative.