Comstar Ambulance Billing Security Breach

The Town was recently informed by Comstar Ambulance Billing Service that on or about March 26, 2022 suspicious activity was identified on Comstar’s computer systems and network.  Comstar is a vendor hired by the Town to invoice individuals and/or their insurance provider for the cost of ambulance transportation and the associated care.  Patient information is securely provided by the Town to Comstar on a regular basis to initiate billing for these services. Upon review of their computer systems and network, Comstar determined they were victims of a cyber-attack which impacted their network. The news was disappointing as the confidentiality, privacy and security of data is a top priority for both the Town and its vendors.

Comstar notified the Town of their intention to issue letters to affected individuals.  After consulting with legal counsel, the Town conveyed its expectations for Comstar to proceed with the notifications but requested the opportunity to review the letter prior to its issuance and to receive advance notice of the mailing date.  While Comstar has taken steps to issues these letters, they unfortunately failed to honor the two requests previously noted. During the latter part of the week of June 6th, Comstar began mailing notices of this breach to affected individuals served by Wilmington’s ambulance service in Massachusetts and multiple other states.

If you have received a notice from Comstar Ambulance Billing Service, please do not ignore it.  The notice is legitimate and is intended to provide impacted individuals with advice on the steps to take to assist in protecting their personal information.  Comstar has established a call center to address questions from individuals.  That phone number is 1-877-587-4280.  The call center is accessible between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.  The Town is in regular communication with Comstar about their responsiveness to those impacted by this cyber-attack in addition to the steps Comstar is taking to secure their computer systems and network.  Since only Comstar has the specific details on information that may have been compromised, only Comstar will be able to answer questions.  The Town does not maintain this confidential information which means that calls received by Town departments will be referred to Comstar.

We all rely upon electronic media for transactions of one form or another. The Town recognizes and fully appreciates the concerns about personally identifiable information and confidential medical conditions potentially being compromised.  Unfortunately, cyber-attackers continue to pursue access to restricted information across all business sectors. 

The Town is monitoring Comstar’s course of action closely to ensure that all impacted individuals are informed and that all questions are addressed as expeditiously as possible.

Jeffrey M. Hull

Town Manager