HHS OCR report ยท 2017
John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) data breach
OCR report facts
- Covered entity
- John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.)
- Entity type
- Health Plan
- State
- Massachusetts
- Individuals affected
- 1,715
- Submission date
- Oct 6, 2017
- Type of breach
- Hacking/IT Incident
- Location of breached information
- Network Server
- Business associate present
- No
- Status
- Archive (closed)
OCR description
An unknown third party used social engineering to obtain the identifying information of eleven employees from sources outside their employment and used that information to impersonate the employees online and over the phone to gain access to a database of the covered entity (CE). The database contained the protected health information (PHI) of 1,715 long-term care insurance policy holders and applicants. including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, telephone numbers, email addre...
Text as published on the HHS OCR breach portal.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were affected by the John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) data breach?
The report to HHS OCR lists 1,715 individuals affected.
When was it reported to HHS?
It was submitted to HHS OCR on Oct 6, 2017.
What type of breach was it?
The OCR portal lists the type of breach as Hacking/IT Incident, with the breached information located in: Network Server.
Is the investigation still open?
No. The report is in the OCR portal archive, which holds reports where OCR has closed its review.
Is a breach notice letter from John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.) legitimate?
This site cannot verify letters. Check the sender against the organisation's official website and the HHS OCR breach portal, and avoid calling numbers or clicking links only listed in an unexpected message. See our guide on what to do after a data breach notice.
Source: HHS OCR Breach Portal, OCR export October 2026. Network USA is not affiliated with HHS or John Hancock Life Insurance Company (U.S.A.).