Waldo County officials today notified county employees they may have been impacted by a theft of personal data.

On Monday, Feb. 5, W-2 forms for Waldo County employees were obtained by an anonymous individual or individuals as part of a “phishing” attack, according to a press release. Between 8:30 and 9 a.m., the person or persons impersonated a county official and asked for confidential employee information. Information that was compromised includes social security number, payroll information including salary and withholdings and address.

“We take the confidentiality and security of our employees’ personal data very seriously. Despite our secure systems and information protocols used to protect that data, some personal data was disclosed to an unauthorized individual or individuals,” said William Shorey, chairman of the Waldo County commissioners. “We have acted as quickly as possible to limit risk to our employees.”

Upon realizing it was not a legitimate request for information, Waldo County officials contacted the county’s attorney and data breach experts at Bernstein Shur to put in place a rapid response plan.

About 100 employees were potentially impacted by the data theft. Waldo County officials notified the Sheriff’s Department, Maine Attorney General and the FBI of the breach today and will cooperate with any investigation.

The data released only impacts employees of Waldo County and does not include any personal data about other county residents or individuals.

Notification letters being distributed include details about the data breach and instructions for clients to sign up for Triple Bureau Credit Monitoring, a service that will be provided at no cost to those who were potentially affected.

Employees are being notified by email and by First-Class mail. The notification letter includes information on steps county employees can take to further protect themselves, including notifying the credit bureaus, obtaining a free copy of their credit report to check for unusual activity and being cautious of solicitations.

“I know that people are going to be worried. At Waldo County, we’re doing everything within our means to make the situation better,” Shorey said. “We sincerely regret that this has happened and offer our apologies as we continue to work to remedy and address the incident.”