Although online scams are widespread and a quite common problem, many people don’t realize the threat that one can pose to them, or how close to home they sometimes hit. You’ve probably been the target of attempted scams many times throughout your life and maybe have even fallen victim to one – hopefully not! Still, you may feel a deceptive distance between yourself and scammers. The reality is, anyone could fall victim to a scam at any time from anything if they are not careful enough, including companies or organizations that you use regularly. If you live in or near Kansas City, here are some scams that have occurred locally just in recent months that may have affected you:
In April, it was discovered that a ransomware group named Black Suit had successfully attacked Jackson County. The group claims that they stole county employee data such as passports, contacts, contracts, family details, and medical information. Their goal was to collect a ransom from Jackson County. This attack also temporarily closed the County Assessment, Collection, and Recorder of Deeds offices after the group cut off access to networks and information tied to the tax payment, online property, marriage license and inmate search systems. Although Jackson County was able to resolve the issue, it is unknown exactly what information the hackers were able to get their hands on. According to Jackson County officials, the group initially gained access to their systems after an employee fell for a phishing scam.
It is also important to note that government offices seem to be a common target for attacks, particularly ransomware attacks. Not only are they targeted for their access to large sums of money, but they also often do not have sufficient cybersecurity defenses put in place. Before Jackson County was attacked, the Kansas City Area Transit Authority and the Kansas State Court System were also attacked. Just a few weeks ago, the Kansas City Scout traffic system was breached, rendering the system unavailable until further notice. And, just about a week ago, more systems in Kansas City were shut down due to suspicious activity and will be down until further notice. According to data from the FBI, cyberattacks against government offices rose by nearly 36% from 2022 to 2023 and continue to rise.
Also, just about a week ago, the city of Wichita announced that they had fallen victim to a ransomware attack in which sensitive law enforcement data was stolen. The data breach has affected the daily operations of several city services, including the public WiFi at the airport and several libraries and the payment systems for public transportation, utilities, court systems, and more. City officials believe that hackers were able to access their systems and copy several files early this month. Besides law enforcement information, the files also contained traffic information which includes names, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and payment information. City officials did not disclose how the hackers were able to access their accounts or how many people were/will be affected.
There has also been an increase in attacks in the healthcare industry. In December of last year, Liberty Hospital fell victim to a ransomware attack that caused a temporary closure of their emergency department and major disruption to all other departments. Because of the breach, the hospital was forced to shut down their computer systems for quite some time. Many patients had to be transferred to different hospitals and ambulances were rerouted to other hospitals as employees struggled to keep working. According to an anonymous employee, hours were cut during the several weeks that the issue was being resolved and procedures were rescheduled. It is unclear whether or not the hackers were able to access patient information, but the main attack was resolved in early January.
Just a quick Google search of recent local cyberattacks reveals a shocking number of results. Across the country, hackers are scamming individuals and businesses every day. The importance of sufficient cybersecurity measures is not something that should be taken lightly. Hackers sometimes have the ability to do irreparable damage to you and your company via scams, which is why systems like two-factor authentication or anti-virus software are so important. It is also important to have a trusted IT provider like Blue Oak by your side to help prevent/resolve attacks.
Practicing safe internet habits while online is one of the best ways to prevent an attack. Scams can come from nearly anywhere, so it is important to be cautious while doing anything online. Always verify email addresses, phone numbers, and websites, don’t trust unsecured/free public Wi-Fi, don’t answer suspicious or unusual messages, don’t give out sensitive information without verifying the receiver’s identity. But, you’re not the one responsible for your private information getting out when someone at an organization that maintains your information on record gets scammed, yet you may very well be the real victim of the attack. That’s why it’s so prevalent to see identify protection service offerings and advertisements these days – it’s hard, despite all of your best efforts, to keep your information from getting out into the open!
Read our previous post here: What is a VPN?
