TX: City of Odessa notifies residents of Click2Gov breach

Click2Gov Security Breach

ODESSA – We have learned of a data security incident that occurred between August 27, 2019 and October 14, 2019 that involved some of our customers’ credit/debit card information. The City of Odessa utilizes a third-party software product called Click2Gov to provide our customers with the ability to pay utility bills online via the Internet. The breach occurred with our third-party provider Click2Gov and not with the City of Odessa. On Wednesday, December 11, 2019, the Click2Gov vendor informed the City of the breach. The breach only affected users of the online Click2Gov system who made one-time (not recurring) payments for utility bills. Any payments made in person, via the phone system, via E-Check or to any other city systems were not impacted.

The City of Odessa takes protection of our data systems very seriously and constantly updates all our systems so that risks to our customer data can be minimized. The Click2Gov system had security updates applied to it several times throughout the year. In addition, the City also performs internal and external testing to ensure that the systems are not prone to any known vulnerabilities. Letters will be sent to our customers that we know performed one-time payments through Click2Gov during the time frame stated above.

If you think you have been affected:
-As a first step, we recommend that you closely monitor your financial accounts and if you see any unauthorized activity, promptly contact your financial institution. We also suggest that you
submit a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission by calling 1 (877) 438-4338 (1-877-IDTHEFT) or online at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov
-As a second step, you may want to contact the three U.S. credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) to obtain a free credit report from each by calling 1 (877) 322-8228 or by logging onto www.annualcreditreport.com

Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that you check your credit reports periodically. Checking your credit reports periodically can help you spot a problem and address it quickly.