Family Life

01.24.12 | Sarah Harnisch

Two of upstate New York's largest power companies-- NYSEG and RG&E-- sent out warning letters to their customers Monday, saying their accounts may have been hacked. In the letter, they said there's no evidence that any customer data had been misused, or that there was any malicious intent, but the breach was so large that they consulted with police and computer forensic experts. It involved an employee at an independent software development firm contracted by NYSEG and RG&E, who had access to social security numbers, dates of birth, and bank account information. NYSEG says as a precaution, it's arranged for Experian to provide all of its customers with free credit monitoring to watch for fraud.