The West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency announced that a specialized computer tape that contained data about members of PEIA was reported missing.

According to a news release from the PEIA, a third party mail carrier was transporting the tape to a data analyst in Pennsylvania -- and reported it missingon October 16. The carrier asked PEIA for the weekend to search for the tape, but it has not located it.

The PEIA says the tape "was in a format that cannot be read by standard computer equipment. It would require specialized data processing equipment loaded with appropriate software and highly knowledgeable individuals to view the data."

The state is mailing letters to about 200,000 past and current member of PEIA, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and AccessWV.

According to the news release, the tape includes names and maiden names, addresses, social security numbers, telephone numbers, and marital status of program participants and their covered dependents. The PEIA says the tape did not contain medical or prescription claims information.

The PEIA says letters will be sent to policyholders' last known address -- and will contain information on how to place a fraud alert on their credit files.

They're also recommending that people affected by this lost data contact the three credit reporting agencies to place a free fraud alert on their accounts:

Experian
888-397-3742

Equifax
800-525-6285

TransUnion
800-680-7289

The PEIA is creating a call center that will take questions regarding the lost data. It will start on Wednesday, October 24, at 8am. The number is: 1-800-435-4351.