LAFAYETTE, La., ( KLFY ) — A rash of class action lawsuits are emerging in federal court against Acadian Ambulance , less than two weeks after the medical transport company announced that protected patient health information was accessed by a hacker earlier this year.
The federal suits, lodged by both patients and former employees of the company, allege that cybercriminal organization Daixin Team managed to access patient information such as full names, social security numbers, dates of birth, and medical and treatment information.
“The exposure of one’s private information to cybercriminals is a bell that cannot be un-rung,” one lawsuit read.
“Before this data breach, plaintiff’s and the class’s private information was exactly that — private. Not anymore. Now, their private information is forever exposed and unsecure,” the lawsuit continued.
Acadian Ambulance says cyber attack gained access to protected health information
According to the lawsuits, the hackers demanded Acadian Ambulance pay a $7 million ransom for the return of the stolen information. The ambulance company refused the ransom demand and instead offered to pay $173,000, which the hackers rejected, the lawsuits said.