Healthcare Organization Reports Serious Threats Against Doctor
When a prominent surgeon began receiving death threats, Ironwall’s Emergency Support Protocol made sure he and his family were protected.
Online privacy protection not only provides a common-sense step toward reducing the risk of a data breach, it could also save the life of someone in your organization.
The threat
- A surgeon began receiving bizarre threats from a former patient.
- While Ironwall had already removed his PII, the abusive posts were deemed serious enough to require additional protection.
The outcome
- Ironwall began twice-daily internet searches to make certain the doctor’s PII remained inaccessible.
- We investigated the background of the poster to determine the potential for escalation.
- We reviewed protection protocols at the doctor’s home and enhanced his home security status.
- The threats have ceased.
The threat
- A surgeon began receiving bizarre threats from a former patient.
- While Ironwall had already removed his PII, the abusive posts were deemed serious enough to require additional protection.
The outcome
- Ironwall began twice-daily internet searches to make certain the doctor’s PII remained inaccessible.
- We investigated the background of the poster to determine the potential for escalation.
- We reviewed protection protocols at the doctor’s home and enhanced his home security status.
- The threats have ceased.
Loathing on LinkedIn
According to the CDC, healthcare providers face rates of violence three times higher than all other industries combined. Many get caught in the crosshairs of national debates, others face hostility over recommended treatment options or denial of health insurance coverage.
But sometimes it’s strictly personal.
A renowned surgeon at one of our client healthcare organizations is frequently interviewed about his work. This may have put a target on his back.
The organization became concerned when one of its LinkedIn posts received a rambling, bizarre response about Nazis and murder directed at this surgeon. Similar posts followed with veiled threats and abusive language, including one showing a medical document with the surgeon’s name and that of the poster, who turned out to be a former patient.
Thankfully, since we had already removed his personal information from the web, nothing other than the surgeon’s name was made public.
Still, the situation was reported to Ironwall and we determined that it was serious enough to provide the enhanced protection that’s available through our emergency support services.
Security online and offline
Our security team began looking into the background of the poster to determine if he had the means, motive, and opportunity to harm the doctor. Though he had deleted his LinkedIn account, our experts found that he had been arrested previously for trespassing and domestic battery. He also changed locations frequently and often participated in political and social protests.
In parallel, our privacy specialists conducted additional searches to ensure the surgeon’s home address and other PII could not be accessed via a search engine. Checks were conducted twice a day on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Google, and Bing and daily status reports were sent to the surgeon and the organization.
We also visited the surgeon’s home, met with his building security team about the threats, and worked with them on installing new cameras and an alarm system. We had his name removed from the building directory and advised him on other changes to the family’s daily routine that would keep them safer.
Ironwall goes beyond basic protection
The threats stopped, but our protocol was to keep the surgeon on emergency support until we were certain that the danger had passed. Until then, we continued to monitor the situation and track any new online activity by the source of the first threat.
Please Note: All case studies are described in ways that preserve our clients’ safety and anonymity.
Protect your healthcare team with Ironwall
We understand the risks healthcare providers face and our privacy and security teams stand ready to neutralize the threats.
Please Note: All case studies are described in ways that preserve our clients’ safety and anonymity.
Protect your healthcare team with Ironwall
We understand the risks healthcare providers face and our privacy and security teams stand ready to neutralize the threats.