Atlanta

FBI investigating hacking of local clinic database

ATLANTA — The FBI is working to learn who hacked the patient database of a local clinic.

Peachtree Orthopedics has locations in Cherokee, Cobb, Forsyth, Fulton and Gwinnett counties.

Channel 2’s Rikki Klaus talked to a number of people who were affected. They all got a letter explaining what happened and live in Monroe, Rockdale, Decatur, and surrounding areas.

"So, this is just really unfair,” Kerri Leland, of Buford, said. She is a mother of four.

"I don't have time to be checking my credit, constantly, and looking to see if there's an issue."

She said she opened a letter from Peachtree Orthopedics on Tuesday, where her now 19-year-old son was a patient.

"He went to the Cumming location," she said.

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In the letter, the clinic said a thief hacked into its patient database on September 22, gaining access to names, Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, and patient records.

"But the biggest part of it, it says the FBI is investigating, so any time you get a letter that the FBI’s looking into anything like that, it's really concerning,” Leland said.

A clinic spokeswoman would not tell Klaus how many letters went out or the number of people affected, but we know the clinic has a wide reach, with more than 30 doctors and nine offices across metro Atlanta, according to its website.

The clinic is offering free identity theft protection to victims. Most people Klaus talked to said they will take it. Leland said it does not fix the problem.

“So it's just time-consuming and an inconvenience to us,” she said.