Name: Telamon email mistake puts personal information at risk for some Wake County residents
Uploaded: 2022-01-27T18:50:31-0500
Duration: 258422
Description: Wake County residents facing eviction say their personal information was put at risk by the very company charged with helping them keep their homes.

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>>> >>> WAKE COUNTY RESIDENTS FACING EVICTION SAY THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION WAS PUT AT RISK BY THE VERY COMPANY CHARGED WITH HELPING THEM KEEP THEIR HOMES. KEELY ARTHUR SPOKE WITH APPLICANTS ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS AND THE COMPANY ABOUT THE CHANGES THEY HAVE SINCE MADE IN THEIR APPLICATION PROCESS. SHE JOINS US LIVE NOW AT THE WAKE COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING. >> Reporter: LENA, SEVERAL VIEWERS WROTE IN ABOUT THIS SAME EMAIL, WRITTEN BY TELAMON. THIS IS THE COMPANY THAT WAKE COUNTY HIRED TO DISTRIBUTE $40 MILLION WORTH OF COVID-19 HOUSING ASSISTANCE RELIEF. EMAILS SENT OUT REVEALED THE IDENTITY OF HUNDREDS OF THOSE APPLICANTS, AND ALSO LED TO THE DISCLOSURE OF SOME PERSONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION. WHILE I SPOKE WITH THE COMPANY CEO, TONIGHT, SHE IS SAYING SHE IS SORRY. >> Reporter: NEARLY 2 YEARS INTO THE PANDEMIC, WE HAVE A VACCINE NOW TO HELP PROTECT AGAINST THE VIRUS. PROTECTION FROM LOST INCOME, THOUGH, IS A DIFFERENT STORY. >> BILL COLLECTORS DON'T CARE. >> Reporter: RALEIGH MOTHER OF THREE, DANIELS TELLS FIVE ON YOUR SIDE THAT SHE LOST TWO JOBS DURING THE PANDEMIC, ONE WITH AN AIRLINE AND THE OTHER IN RETAIL. THE BILLS STARTED TO PILE UP. >> WE ALL KNOW THAT RENTING HERE IS DIFFICULT. >> Reporter: SO, SHE TURNED TO THE COUNTY'S HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, WHICH HAS HELPED NEARLY 3000 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC COVER RENT AND UTILITY PAYMENTS. >> THAT EXTRA HELP WOULD HAVE BEEN A NICE BOOST TO GET BACK ON TRACK. >> Reporter: DANIELS APPLIED IN OCTOBER BUT SAYS THE BOOTH NEVER CAME. SHE DID NOT EVEN GET A RESPONSE UNTIL JANUARY SIXTH OF THIS YEAR. >> PROBABLY A MOMENT OF RELIEF, AND THEN LIKE WHAT? >> RIGHT. >> Reporter: THAT IS BECAUSE A CASEWORKER FOR THE COMPANY WAKE COUNTY CONTRACTED TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM SENT AN EMAIL THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE PRIVATE, BUT WAS NOT. THE EMAIL ASKED PEOPLE FOR INCOME TAX FORMS OR PAY STUBS AND WENT TO MORE THAN 350 EMAIL ADDRESSES. WITHIN MINUTES, SOMEONE REPLIED ALL TO THE THREAD, SAYING THEIR BENEFITS LETTER WAS ATTACHED. THE COMPANY TRIED TO CORRECT THEIR MISTAKES, RECALLING THE INITIAL EMAIL AT 11:52 A.M., BUT THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DONE. >> IT'S A MESS. IT'S A MESS. >> YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE EMAIL? >> Reporter: I GOT A HOLD OF THE CEO, SUSAN, TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. SHE BLAMED THE MISTAKE ON A NEW HIRE WHO DID NOT PUT THE RECIPIENTS IN A BLIND CC LINE. >> UNFORTUNATELY, SHE DID NOT FOLLOW OUR PROTOCOL. >> Reporter: THEIR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFIT VERIFICATION LETTER WENT OUT TO ALL OF THOSE 350 EMAIL ADDRESSES. >> THOSE PEOPLE AFFECTED BY THIS OR RECEIVED AN EMAIL WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW OR HEAR FROM YOU? >> I APOLOGIZE TO ALL OF THEM. WE DID NOT ENSURE THAT OUR PROTOCOLS WERE FOLLOWED. YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE THEY ARE NOT BEING HEARD. >> Reporter: SHE SAYS THIS WAS A LEARNING LESSON AND CYBER SECURITY EXPERT NEIL URGES SAID IT CAN BE, FOR YOU, TO. >> I ALWAYS ENCOURAGE PEOPLE THAT IF THEY GET THIS TYPE OF URGENT REQUEST FROM A SENSITIVE ORGANIZATION THAT IS REQUESTING PERSONAL INFORMATION THAT THEY COULD PICK UP THE PHONE AND TRY TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THAT ORGANIZATION. >> Reporter: BOTTOM LINE, NEVER REPLY ALL WHEN YOU ARE EMAILING PERSONAL INFORMATION. >> Reporter: I QUESTIONED SUSAN IN THAT INTERVIEW, ASKING HER, SHOULD PEOPLE EVEN TRUST HER COMPANY AT THIS POINT? SHE SAYS YES, THEY HAVE MADE SEVERAL CHANGES INCLUDING CHANGES TO THE PORTAL SO PEOPLE CAN SUBMIT THEIR INFORMATION THAT WAY, RATHER THAN EMAIL. AS FOR THE WOMAN WHO DID SHARE HER PERSONAL INFORMATION, A COMPANY HAS BEEN HIRED TO ENSURE THAT HER IDENTITY DOES

Keely Arthur

Heather Leah

Telamon email mistake puts personal information at risk for some Wake County residents

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Hi there. It's time for tonight's lottery drawings for Tuesday, April 30th, 2024. Let's get started with the Carolina pick three. Our first winning number tonight is eight, followed by three, third pick three tonight. Zero and our pick three. Fireball number is nine. Joining me for tonight's drawing is our auditor from mcconnell and Jones L LP. And now it's time for the Carolina pick four. Check your tickets. Good luck. Seven is our first winning pick for tonight. Followed by one third, winning number three. Fourth pick four is five and our pick four fireball number tonight is eight. Let's turn now to the Carolina cash five. If no one matches all five numbers to win the jackpot tonight, tomorrow's top prize is an estimated $130,000. Good luck first winning cash five tonight. 17 by 23. 3rd winning number 19. Our fourth cash five tonight. 14 and good luck. Our final winning number is 43. The North Carolina Education Lottery has contributed over $10 billion to education. Thanks for your support and get the winning numbers every night right here on your exclusive station for the North Carolina education lottery. Thanks for playing.

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>> ACROSS AMERICA WITH MEGA JACKPOTS, IT'S MEGA MILLIONS. YEAH, AMERICA, I'M JOHN CROW TISSUES, APRIL 30TH. AND TONIGHT THE MEGA MILLIONS JACKPOT IS AN ESTIMATED ANNUITY TIES 257 MILLION DOLLARS TO WIN THAT JACKPOT. YOU MUST MATCH THESE 5 WHITE. PLUS THAT GOLD MEGA BALL. NOW, LET'S SEE. I CAN MAKE YOU A MILLIONAIRE TONIGHT. OUR FIRST WINNING NUMBER TONIGHT IS 27 FOLLOWED BY 18. UP NEXT, WE HAVE 61. YOUR NEXT NUMBER IS 37 YOUR FINAL WHITE BALL NUMBER FOR THIS TUESDAY EVENING AS 10 NOW FOR THE MEGA BALL NUMBER, THAT IS 5 IN TONIGHT'S WINNING NUMBERS. ARE 27 18. 61. 37 10

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Telamon email mistake puts personal information at risk for some Wake County residents

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Telamon email mistake puts personal information at risk for some Wake County residents

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