SPOKANE, Wash. – The Washington State Auditor’s Office addresses a security breach that may have compromised the data of 1.6 million people. The State Auditor’s Office said a third-party provider, Accellion, who they use to transmit files, experienced a “security incident” in December. SAO said the incident led to unauthorized access to records that were temporarily stored in Accellion’s system.
Some of the compromised data includes information of more than one million Washingtonians who filed for unemployment between January 1 to December 20, 2020. That information includes names, social security numbers and/or state driver’s license, place of employment, and bank information.
The news has had those who filed for benefits concerned.
“This breach, this security breach is so frustrating,” said David Strohe.
It was just the latest blow for families like David’s. He’s made a living for years feeding and wowing people as a chef.
“I just want to get out and work,” he said. “I want to do what I’m passionate about with cooking and stuff. I wish more restaurants could open up.”
But for several weeks, he cannot. His wife is still working, and they find relief in other places too.
“As a veteran, I do get paid on the first of every month, so that helps out,” he said.
And so have some unemployment benefits.
“We’re getting by,” he said. “But it’s still frustrating…I want to get back to work.”
And now he has a whole new frustration on his mind.
David could be among the 1.6 million people whose personal information was compromised. The unauthorized access occurred in late December of 2020, but SAO didn’t confirm the incident until late last month.
“I was a little weary about it,” he said.
He’s wasted no time trying to protect himself.
“I went to my bank to put a (fraud alert) on my bank account,” he said.
David also put a fraud alert on his credit report and plans to closely monitor all of his accounts. To obtain a few copies of your credit report, the State Auditor linked this: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action
