American Optometric Association

"Another wave of malicious credit-line openings related to an ongoing suspected data breach are impacting students and doctors of optometry within the past week. These affected parties-like the initial group-report receiving unsolicited, fraudulent applications for Chase Amazon.com Visa cards submitted in their name. In some cases, these cards are approved.At the direction of the AOA's Board of Trustees, the AOA apprised federal authorities of the breach, including the U.S. Attorney General's Office (member login required) and Department of Justice. Additionally, the AOA called for a united front among affiliates and others, asking optometric testing organizations and state boards of optometry to immediately discontinue use of SSNs as personal identifiers. This petition resulted in the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) eliminating the use of SSNs in favor of "OE Tracker numbers."     As of Jan. 26, the NBEO announced that its own months-long investigation into its systems found no evidence of compromised personal information.    To date, the source of the breach is still unknown. The AOA continues to closely follow this situation and will provide updates when possible."