On Friday, June 22, the City of Midland was informed of a potential security breach of the utility billing online payment platform, administered by Superion.
Superion’s Click2Gov function is the payment server used to make online payments for utilities. The security breach affected users who made one-time, online payments between December 2017 and June 2018. Residents who have online automatic payment set-up, or who paid with an e-check or bank account routing number during this period were not compromised in the breach.
Upon receiving notice from Superion, the City shut down the online utility billing payment server. The vulnerability in Superion’s Click2Gov function is believed to be wide-spread. Other cities potentially affected include Beaumont, TX, Oceanside, CA, and Goodyear, AZ.
The City expects online bill-pay to be back up in the coming days. In the meantime, payments can be made in-person at City Hall or via check through the mail. For accounts that are currently set-up with auto bill-pay, payments will continue to be processed.
If you believe you may have been affected by the data breach, there are steps you can take:
1) Check your credit card account for unauthorized or suspicious charges, no matter how small.
2) Report any unauthorized charges to your credit card issuer and bank.
3) Ask your credit card issuer and bank to deactivate your card and issue a new card.
4) Request a fraud alert to be placed on your credit file. A fraud alert tells creditors to contact you before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. You may call any one of the three major credit bureaus listed below. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are notified to place fraud alerts. The initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for 90 days. You can renew it after 90 days.
Request that all three credit reports be sent to you, free of charge, for your review. 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.
•Equifax: Equifax.com or 1-800-525-6285
•Experian: Experian.com or 1-888-397-3742
•TransUnion: Transunion.com or 1-800-680-7289
For questions and concerns, please contact the Customer Service Division at (432) 685-7320 Monday – Friday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM or anytime at ub@midlandtexas.gov.
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Media Contact: Elana Ladd (432) 685-7593