CHIUSANO SAYS MASSIVE HORIZON IDENTITY THEFT WARRANTS STATE, FEDERAL INVESTIGATIONS

 WITH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF NJ RESIDENTS AT RISK, LEADER CALLS ON ASSEMBLY SPEAKER AND SENATE PRESIDENT TO CONVENE JOINT LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS 

Assemblyman Gary Chiusano today called for an investigation by the Attorney General and the U.S. Attorney into a startling admission by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey that some 300,000 of its subscribers are at risk of identify theft.

“Horizon is one of the state’s largest health insurance companies and the major provider of benefits for public employees, many of whom are retired and have moved out of state,” said Chiusano, R-Sussex, Morris and Hunterdon. “It is outrageous that such a security breach could happen, and its repercussions could certainly cross state lines.”

In addition to an investigation by state and federal law enforcement, Chiusano, a member of the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, also called for the security breach to be the subject of a joint legislative hearing with the Senate.

He plans to introduce legislation that would force Horizon to pick up any legal costs and to reimburse for damages suffered as result of any identify theft crimes stemming from its negligence in this matter.

“Horizon needs to explain how the names, addresses and social security numbers of 300,000 out of its more than 3,000,000 subscribers were entrusted to an employee’s laptop computer and why any employee should be allowed to take such information home,” Chiusano said. “Given the vast scope of the monetary damages subscribers can suffer, I don’t see how a complimentary, one-year membership in a credit monitoring service is sufficient compensation for this blunder. Hundreds of thousands of people could be the victim of identify theft once a year has elapsed.”

Horizon says the laptop containing the personal information was stolen from an employee’s home.

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