ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Power is notifying approximately 300,000 customers after an unauthorized party gained access to information through the company’s online customer portal.
The utility says it discovered the suspicious activity through ongoing monitoring and took steps to stop the unauthorized access. Law enforcement was contacted, and Georgia Power says its investigation found no evidence that the unauthorized access is continuing.
The incident also affected approximately 100,000 customers of Southern Company utilities in Alabama and Mississippi, bringing the total number of affected accounts across the three states to roughly 400,000.
According to Georgia Power, the unauthorized party gained access to limited customer information that may have included:
- Names
- Addresses
- Telephone numbers
- Email addresses
- Other basic account information
- The last four digits of Social Security numbers
Georgia Power says bank account numbers, payment card numbers and driver’s license numbers were not accessed.
The company has approximately 2.8 million customers across Georgia, meaning the breach affected roughly one in nine Georgia Power customers.
Georgia Power says it is notifying affected customers through email and U.S. mail. The company is also offering those customers free credit monitoring through Equifax. Georgia Public Service Commission Chairman Jason Shaw told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the PSC is monitoring the situation and seeking continued updates from Georgia Power.
While Georgia Power says financial account and payment-card information was not exposed, customers should still be particularly cautious about unexpected phone calls, emails or text messages claiming to be from the utility.
Information such as a person’s name, address, phone number, email address and partial Social Security number could potentially make an impersonation attempt appear more convincing. Georgia Power already warns customers that scammers sometimes impersonate utility employees and threaten immediate disconnection or attempt to obtain payment or personal information.
The company says it will not threaten immediate disconnection or demand payment information over the phone. Customers who receive a suspicious communication should avoid clicking links or providing personal information and instead contact Georgia Power through a trusted method.
Customers who receive a notification that their information was involved should carefully follow the instructions provided by Georgia Power and consider enrolling in the free credit-monitoring service being offered.
Customers can also take several additional precautions:
- Be suspicious of unexpected calls, texts or emails claiming to be from Georgia Power.
- Don’t provide Social Security, banking or payment information in response to an unsolicited communication.
- Avoid clicking links in suspicious emails or text messages.
- Access your account by going directly to Georgia Power’s official website rather than following an unexpected link.
- Monitor financial and credit accounts for unusual activity.
- Consider changing your Georgia Power online account password, particularly if the same password is used for other online accounts.
Georgia Power advises customers who receive suspicious communications to hang up and contact the company directly at 1-888-660-5890.
Georgia Power’s fraud and scam protection information
Georgia Power has not publicly identified the unauthorized party responsible for the incident or provided detailed information about how access to the customer portal was obtained. The company says it has taken steps to secure the affected systems and is continuing to work with law enforcement.
For customers, the most important step now is to watch for an official notification from Georgia Power and be especially cautious of anyone who attempts to use the incident as an opportunity to obtain additional personal or financial information.
Hazlehurst Now will continue following the situation and provide updates if additional information is released.
Sources: AJC, Georgia Power
