Ohio unemployment applicants were notified last week that their personal information was compromised and exposed to other applicants. Through an error in the application process, some applicants had access to a database file with other applicants’ personal information. The data exposed included first and last name, social security number, and home address. 130,000 applicants were affected by the breach.
“Deloitte Consulting is currently under contract with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) to develop the system to administer the pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) program. Over the weekend, Deloitte Consulting notified ODJFS that about two dozen individuals inadvertently had the capability to view other PUA claimants’ correspondence. Once the unauthorized access was identified, Deloitte fixed the issue within one hour. ODJFS contacted the individuals who had accidental access to the system data.” ODJFS said in a public statement.
Many applicants were still waiting for benefits to begin when the notification came through that their data had been compromised. Deloitte Consulting was brought in to help process the influx of applicants with 1099 tax forms. This form is typically associated with self-employment and independent contractors, and was previously not covered under unemployment before the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program. Illinois and Colorado, two other states using Deloitte Consulting, reported similar data exposure to their unemployment applicants’ data. Deloitte Consulting is offering free credit monitoring to those affected.
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