QEC investigating possible data breach after Iqaluit break-in
Utility says no electronic records were affected
A recent break-in at the Qulliq Energy Corp. office building in Iqaluit may have exposed roughly 800 paper-based customer records containing names, mailing addresses and billing information related to pre-authorized payments. Iqaluit customers are advised to review their bank and credit card statements for unusual activity. (Photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Qulliq Energy Corp. says a weekend break-in at its corporate office in Iqaluit may have exposed some customer records.
The energy utility announced Monday on its Facebook page that the incident was reported to the RCMP and is under investigation.
The post did not provide a date or time for when the break-in was discovered.
QEC estimates 800 physical customer records may have been accessed during the break-in. That includes customer names, mailing addresses, and certain “billing-related details” connected to pre-authorized payment arrangements.
The information was not stored electronically and is not part of its computer systems.
Representatives for the utility haven’t responded to questions from Nunatsiaq News about whether bank account numbers, credit card numbers or customer signatures may have been compromised.
There is no evidence that any customer information has been misused, QEC said in its announcement.
As a precaution, it advises Iqaluit customers with pre-authorized payment plans to review recent bank or credit card statements and report unusual or unauthorized activity to their financial institution.
Neither QEC nor the RCMP said by publication time whether any items or records were stolen during the break-in.
This isn’t the first security incident to affect Qulliq Energy Corporation in recent years. The corporation was targeted by a cybersecurity incident in January 2023.
Is it only Iqaluit customers who are at risk of credit card fraud?
What Qulliq energy doing is the homeowners is being forced to not pay the full amount and have our bill be exactly at 0. Can they be able to change their direct payments for homeowners to pay the bill at zero and would like to see that.