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The Ohio Lottery Commission announced that its security system was breached and customers' and retailers' information may be compromised.
"On Dec. 24, 2023, the Ohio Lottery encountered a cybersecurity incident, and we now have reason to believe that an unauthorized third-party obtained access to information belonging to our customers and retailers," the commission stated in a news release last week.
"While the investigation continues, we advise all our valued customers and retailers to exercise caution when it comes to their credit."
The commission urged consumers and retailers to be "vigilant in monitoring their account statements for fraudulent or irregular activity," and suggested contacting the country's three major credit bureaus to place a fraud alert or security freeze on their credit files, and closely monitoring their credit reports.
The information for each agency is below.
● Equifax https://www.equifax.com 1-800-525-6285
● Experian https://www.experian.com 1-888-397-3742
● TransUnion Fraud Victim Assistance Department https://www.transunion.com 1-800- 680-7289
The commission stated that "if any consumer data was compromised," it will make every effort to assist Ohioans with credit monitoring services and notify affected consumers "as quickly as possible and in accordance with applicable laws."
The commission stated that the security breach did not involve any Ohio Lottery games or the technology systems that operate the Lottery, and said lottery tickets still can be purchased safely. The commission said winning tickets over $599 can be mailed to the Ohio Lottery Central Office in Cleveland for payment or by using the Ohio Lottery mobile app.
The commission said it is "working diligently to restore all cashing options in the very near future." Consumers and retailers can keep up on the investigation at https://ohiolottery.com/security.
The news release did not say what type of information was obtained through the security breach or how it happened. It remains unclear how many people and businesses may have been affected by the breach.
Calls and messages to representatives at the Ohio Lottery Commission and two of the three credit agencies went unanswered on Monday because of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday.
Experian responded late but had no comment.