REDMOND, OR -- Hundreds of Redmond School District employees spent Tuesday contacting credit bureaus and banks in an effort to stop potential fraud, following a massive breach of personal information. A scammer, posing as Superintendent Mike McIntosh in an e-mail, was able to request and receive copies of all 2016 W2s.
One contract employee tells KBND News she’s caught up in it, even though she only worked for the district three or four times, last year. She was notified by e-mail Monday. "The first one was sent at like 2:00, then the follow-up was sent at 6:30 p.m. The follow up, it was: ‘The breach was limited to 2016 W2s and no direct deposit or banking information was released.’ But, the problem is, everything is on the W2. Everything." After learning of the details, she says she was shocked it was so easy for a scammer to request and receive such detailed information. She says she thought, "'Seriously, holy cats. You have to be kidding me.' I mean, the stomach dropping, ‘Oh my gosh, you have got to be kidding me.’ This is a panic-worthy item, because the absolute worst possible document that can get out is the W2 because all information is on that thing."
She visited her financial institutions in person, Tuesday. "At the bank, she rolled her eyes. I said, ‘I was told I should change passwords.’ She said, ‘well, that’s fine. But, calling the bureaus is the biggest thing. And putting a block for any kind of credit applications,’ until they verify that I’m the person, or whatever." And, she says there's more work to do, "I’ll be obviously making all those calls to the credit bureaus, contacting any financial institution that I have my fingers in at all, and I think I will be putting a block on my account."
She says because the data released includes her Social Security number, address and tax withholding information, it also impacts her husband and kids. In a second e-mail from the district to employees, officials said they will provide access to a credit monitoring service; but few other details have been released.
