Charlotte Housing Authority confirms data breach of employee information

The Charlotte Housing Authority is working to correct a data breach that it said compromised personal and private information for current and some former employees.

According to housing authority officials, the breach came in the form of an email requesting employee W-2 information. The email appeared to be from the CEO. The requested information was sent before Jan. 19, when it was discovered that the request was made from a fraudulent account.

The IRS Tax Form W-2 sent in response to the request includes employee names, addresses, Social Security numbers and wage information.

All current employees have been notified of the breach, and efforts are being made to notify former employees.

Along with a staff meeting explaining the situation, the authority sent a letter to employees detailing the attack, the steps it was taking and steps for employees to take to make sure their information was secure.

“We take the security of personal information very seriously,” spokeswoman Cheron Porter said. “Therefore, we are implementing additional safeguards including, but not limited to cybersecurity training for our employees.”

Housing authority residents and business partners were unaffected, officials said.

The incident was reported to law enforcement officials, and local and federal authorities are investigating the breach.

The housing agency encouraged any former employees who have not spoken with staff to contact its human resources department.

This story was originally published January 27, 2018 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Charlotte Housing Authority confirms data breach of employee information."