Full House Lottery is dealing with its second online security breach in the past three weeks.
Lottery officials learned on Jan. 29, 2017, that hackers had accessed an email list of people who had supported the lottery in the past. Those people were sent emails that directed them to a fake website, where they were told they could buy tickets for this year’s lottery.
“We’re only aware of one person who started [to fill in the online form] but then felt that this wasn’t looking very real,” said Frank Calder, lottery manager for Full House Lottery.
“There were several things that would have made a person hesitant.”
Calder said the organization hired more cyber security people. But on Feb.22, the lottery found out it had been hacked again.
Up to 3,000 people affected
This time, the credit card information of up to 3,000 people could have been compromised. Calder said those people have all been contacted.
Edmonton police are now investigating.
“One of the people here just noticed that the site seemed a little slow,” Calder said. “So we went to the developer, and sure enough they found that the file had been compromised.”
Lottery supporter Janice Procyshen of Lloydminster noticed her husband’s credit card had two charges on it they hadn’t made.
One was at a Target store in North Carolina for $143; the other for $8 in the United Kingdom.
“They actually swiped his card,” said Procyshen. “They made, at Charlotte, North Carolina, a card and actually swiped it. Because we haven’t left Canada in three years.”
Calder said the organization has put extra security measures in place to prevent any further hacking.
“We really, truly are monitoring this 24 hours a day to make sure none of these files are being breached or being manipulated in any way,” he said. “We wouldn’t be selling if we felt we were putting people in jeopardy.”
Lotteries in Alberta are hurting
Calder said he’s concerned that news of the breach could hurt sales.
“We’re worried as well, because this isn’t the easiest year in Alberta,” he said. “And we’re seeing other lottery sales are hurting, just because of the economy. We really hope people will keep supporting us.”
Calder said the money raised by the lottery will be used to buy an early detection cancer scanner for the Royal Alexandra Hospital and to support the operation of Canada’s first stroke ambulance at the University of Alberta Hospital.
Despite the credit card breach, Procyshen said she and her husband will continue to support the Full House Lottery.
“It’s not their fault,” she said. “It sounds like they rectified it, and it’s just something that happens.”