Electric Ireland warns up to 8,000 customers their accounts may have been compromised

The utility company has written to customers after an employee of a company working on its behalf “may have inappropriately accessed” their personal details, leading to the “potential misuse of [their] personal and financial information”.

The accounts of up 8,000 Electric Ireland customers may have been compromised, with bank account details potentially accessed. 

The utility company has written to customers after an employee of a company working on its behalf “may have inappropriately accessed” their personal details, leading to the “potential misuse of [their] personal and financial information”.

“Our investigations have established that approximately 8,000 customer accounts may have been compromised,” it said this afternoon.

“Electric Ireland has written to all potentially impacted customers to make them aware of the issue and provide advice and instructions on what actions to take to mitigate against the risk of potential financial fraud. Customers who have not received a letter from Electric Ireland do not need to take any action.” 

It is understood that gardaí made Electric Ireland aware of the issue.

In the letter issued to customers this week, Electric Ireland said it had come to their attention that “a person working on our behalf may have been accessing Electric Ireland customer details to facilitate financial fraud”.

“In investigating the matter, Electric Ireland has established that your account may have been compromised, including your name, address, date of birth, telephone number, email address and bank account details,” it said. 

“An Garda Síochána are also conducting an investigation into this activity.” 

The letter said it strongly recommends customers take action to protect themselves from being defrauded by persons who may have accessed their bank account or personal details.

“Review your relevant bank account statements since October 2021, to identify if there is any suspicious activity which may indicate that your account has been compromised and subject to fraud,” it said.

Take appropriate steps to safeguard your financial accounts, which may include changing your passwords and being vigilant to any unusual activity or unsolicited calls.

It also urged customers who do identify any potential fraudulent activity connected with the data held by Electric Ireland to notify them immediately, and this information would then be passed on to gardaí.

In its statement, the company confirmed it is liaising with An Garda Síochána and the Data Protection Commission in this regard.

It added: “Electric Ireland fully appreciates the gravity of this issue and the concern and inconvenience it will create for those affected customers.”