Optometrists targeted in US data breach

A number of optometrists and optometry students in the US have become victims of a potential data breach that has seen attempts to open Chase Amazon credit accounts in their names.

A number of those affected have received letters from Chase Amazon either declining the application or with an approved card enclosed.

On learning of the potential breach, the American Optometric Association (AOA) completed an immediate investigation into its own databases, concluding that it is not the source of the potential breach.

Secretary-treasurer of the AOA, Barbara Horn, said: “Members should feel assured that AOA employs stringent cybersecurity measures to protect personal information, and additionally, AOA neither gathers nor stores Social Security numbers.”

Since the fraudulent activity came to light, a number of US associations, including the American Academy of Optometry, the Association for Schools and Colleges of Optometry and National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO), have all performed investigations and confirmed that their databases have not been breached.

Reporting on the potential breach, the AOA advised people who suspect they have been affected to contact Amazon Chase directly to check and, if necessary, to cancel the application and report it as fraud.

It added that it “is following this situation closely.”

It is not currently known how many people have been affected, or where the potential breach occurred.