The state’s interactive MinnesotaWorks.net jobs board was hacked this week, prompting Minnesota’s employment officials to warn job seekers their personal information may have been obtained by unauthorized users.
It is not clear how many people had their information hacked.
In a note to job seekers this week, state officials confirmed receiving reports of “suspicious communications” from individuals claiming to be representatives of an approved employer on the state’s MinnesotaWorks.net website.
When the state contacted the employer, it confirmed that the individual or individuals were not employees.
There are no signs the stolen information has been misused to date, Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) officials said.
“A recent data security incident may have resulted in unauthorized access of jobseekers’ contact information such as physical addresses, email addresses and phone numbers,” they said in a statement.
DEED said it immediately revoked the hacker’s access to the website and notified an undisclosed number of job seekers about the incident. DEED also issued advice on what steps website users could take to protect their personal information and prevent identity theft.
In its letter to people who use the website to apply for jobs, DEED said the hackers might ask for additional private information and advised that people not respond to those communications.
“If you receive any suspicious request for private information about yourself, please remain careful about what information you share,” the letter said.
People affected by the data breach or who have questions can contact the state at [email protected].
Those impacted by the data breach are also instructed to regularly check their credit reports, which are kept by the three consumer-credit reporting agencies. Copies may be obtained by contacting www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228.
DEED suggested job seekers look for any unfamiliar transactions or accounts on the reports. Oddities or violations can be reported by calling the phone number listed on the credit report or by contacting the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.
DEED said it is working to improve how it verifies employer representatives on MinnesotaWorks.net and is working on security technology upgrades and other precautions “to prevent
