CVS is offering a year of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection to Baltimore residents whose prescriptions were stolen amid looting across the city April 27.
The pharmacy chain joins Rite Aid, which earlier this month notified customers their personal medical information may have been stolen.
CVS Health is sending out notices to those affected, offering the credit monitoring "out of an abundance of caution," the company said in a statement.
"CVS Health places the highest priority on protecting the privacy of its customers," the company said in a statement. "Nothing is more central to our health care operations than maintaining the privacy of our patients' personal information. The Company sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience or concern this incident may have caused."
Privacy advocates say that although prescriptions do not contain sensitive information such as Social Security numbers or financial account numbers, criminals can use them to commit health care fraud, such as billing medical care to the prescription holder's insurance. They also can combine personal health care information with other data available in online black markets to commit larger acts of fraud or what is known as "spear phishing," in which personal data is used to make a fraudulent request for more information appear legitimate.
A CVS pharmacy at the corner of North and Pennsylvania avenues was set on fire at the center of unrest and looting the day of Freddie Gray's funeral, and a second CVS on West Franklin Street was also looted. Gray was fatally injured in an encounter with Baltimore police in April.
Twenty-seven pharmacies across the city were looted, authorities said. The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating and has released dozens of photos of people suspected of stealing prescriptions.
Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said the influx of narcotics and other drugs stolen from the pharmacies was fueling violence that erupted across the city in May.
CVS customers who have questions may contact the CVS Privacy Office at 1-866-443-0933.
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