In December, a cyberattack caused a major security threat to the State of Rhode Island’s RIBridges system managed by their vendor Deloitte. The State took the system offline and is working to restore it.

Due to the RIBridges Alert, Medicaid renewals will not be processed at this time. If your renewal deadline is between 12/31/24 and 1/31/25, you can disregard your renewal (yellow) notice. Medicaid will issue replacement renewal notices starting at the end of January and you will have until March to respond to the notice. Please watch your mail for the renewal notice and respond by the due date to prevent a gap in your coverage.

The cybercriminal likely gained access to the names, addresses, social security numbers and possibly more on people who get or applied for services through the system.

Who may be affected

RIBridges serves*: 

  • Medicaid     
  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)     
  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)     
  • Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP)     
  • Health plans bought through HealthSource RI    
  • Rhode Island Works (RIW)     
  • Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS)     
  • General Public Assistance (GPA) Program
  • At HOME Cost Share 

*This is not a full list.

On Friday, January 10, 2025, letters related to the RIBridges data breach were mailed to impacted  individuals. The letter tells impacted individuals, or their guardians, how to access free credit monitoring through Experian and how to take additional steps to protect their personal information. Individuals must use the activation code provided in the letter to sign up and will be asked for their name, social security number, address, or other personal information to verify their identity. The deadline to sign up for free credit monitoring is April 30, 2025.

What you can do

There are things you can do now to help protect your data. You can call the three major credit bureaus and:

  • Ask them to place a fraud alert on your credit file. This tells creditors that they should confirm your identity.
  • Ask for a credit freeze. These prevents access to your credit report. 

The three major credit bureaus are TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. There is no cost for these services.

Credit Bureau  Equifax  Experian  TransUnion  
Online   https://www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services   https://www.experian.com/help/  https://www.transunion.com/customer-support/   
By Phone   1-888-298-0045  1-888-397-3742  1-800-916-8800  
By Mail: Fraud Alert (alerting one alerts them all)  Equifax Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 105069, Atlanta GA 30348-5069  Experian Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 9554, Allen TX, 75013  TransUnion Fraud Alert, P.O. Box 2000, Chester, PA 19016  
By Mail: Credit Freeze (each bureau must be alerted individually)  Equifax Credit Freeze Alert, P.O. Box 105788, Atlanta GA 30348-5788  Experian Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 9554, Allen TX, 75013  TransUnion Credit Freeze, P.O. Box 160, Chester, PA 19094 

 

How to stay informed

As a member of Tufts Health RITogether, your data may be at risk. If you have questions or need help, you can: 

  • Visit cyberalert.ri.gov for the latest info on the breach
  • Call the RIBridges Data Breach Hotline*. The number is 833-918-6603. It is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The reference number is B137035. 

*The hotline is for credit monitoring questions only, not coverage questions. If you do not have an activation code because you did not receive a letter, the RIBridges Data Breach Hotline will not be able to enroll you or confirm whether you are impacted.