New Zealand Pharmacy Accidentally Posted Patient Messages Online: Check If You Were Affected

A pharmacy in Wellington, New Zealand accidentally made private patient messages visible on the internet. Unichem Petone pharmacy experienced what it described as an error on its website. The error caused private messages that patients sent through the pharmacy's contact form to become publicly accessible. The pharmacy has now removed the sensitive information from the internet. Twenty nine patients who sent private messages to Unichem Petone through the pharmacy's website contact form were affected. If you contacted this pharmacy through its website, your private message may have been visible to anyone who visited the site. These messages could have included details about your health conditions, medications, or other personal medical information. The pharmacy stated it is directly contacting all 29 affected patients.

If you have sent messages to Unichem Petone pharmacy through its website, watch for contact from the pharmacy.

Here is what to do:

1. If the pharmacy contacts you, ask specifically what information was exposed and for how long.
2. Consider whether any of the information shared could be used for identity theft, such as your date of birth or address.
3. Be alert for suspicious emails or phone calls from people who may have seen your information.
4. If you shared particularly sensitive health information, you may want to inform your doctor. When contacting medical providers online, be cautious about what details you include in messages. Use secure patient portals whenever possible instead of regular contact forms. Pharmacies and medical offices should offer encrypted communication methods for discussing health information. If you need to share sensitive medical details, calling the office directly is often safer than using a website form.