State: 'Human error' leads to three dozen people receiving someone else's unemployment information

In New York State's daily coronavirus response update on Monday, Secretary to the Governor, Melissa DeRosa, acknowledged a data breach in New York State Unemployment Insurance.

PART OF OUR NEWSERIES "THEREBOUND BUFFALO"FOCUSES ON MAKINGSURE PEOPLE INPOSITIONS OFAUTHORITY AREDOING WHAT'S RIGHT.SO MANY WESTERNNEW YORKERS AREWAITING TO GET THEIRUNEMPLOYMENTBENEFITS.BUT TWO BROTHERSARE SHARING... ADIFFERENT PROBLEMWITH THE LABORDEPARTMENT.NEW AT 11 -- NIKKIDEMENTRI TELLS USHOW PERSONALINFORMATION GOTINTO THE WRONGHANDS."IT'S A HECK OF AMESS."THAT MESS, BILL SAYS,IS WHAT HE FOUND INHIS MAILBOX MONDAYMORNING.MAIL FROM THE STATEDEPARTMENT OFLABOR ASKING FORMORE INFORMATIONALMOST A MONTHAFTER HE FILED FORUNEMPLOYMENTBENEFITS.THE FORMS LIST MORETHAN JUST HIS OWNPERSONALINFORMATION."I FOUND MINEPARTIALLY AND I FOUNDANOTHER PERSONFROM ELLENBURGDEPOT IN NEW YORK.TWO OF THE FORMSHAD BILLINFORMATION.THETHIRD.SOMEONEELSE'S FROM SIXHOURSAWAY.INCLUDING AFULL SOCIALSECURITY NUMBER,ADDRESS, NAME ANDEVEN THEIRQUARTERLYEARNINGS."WE DON'T KNOW WMAY HAVE RECEIVEDMINE AND I HAVERECEIVED SOMEONEELSES."THAT'S BILL'SBROTHER, MIKE.

THETWO FILED FORUNEMPLOYMENT ONTHE SAME DAY.

MIKECHECKED FOR ALETTER AFTER HISBROTHER TOLD HIMWHAT HAPPENED.HE ALSO GOTSOMEONE ELSE'SINFORMATION ALONGWITH HIS OWN.

THISTIME A FELLOWWESTERN NEWYORKER."I TOTALLYUNDERSTAND WHATTHEY'RE DEALINGWITH, BUT THIS IS NOTJUST SIMPLY I'MDELAYED A WEEK ORTWO ON MY BENEFITS.THIS IS A SITUATIONWHERE NOW MYPERSONALINFORMATION IS ATRISK."THE BROTHERS ASKEDTO BE IDENTIFIEDONLY BE THEIR FIRSTNAMES --UNDERSTANDABLYWORRIED."THEY HAVE ENOUGHINFORMATION.TO DOQUITE A BIT OFDAMAGE."BUT THEY ARE NOTALONE."THERE WERE, I THINKIT WAS THREE DOZENPEOPLE WHO AND ITWAS A HUMAN ERROR,IT WASN'T MALICIOUS.""YES, IT WAS HUMANERROR, IT WAS NOTMALICIOUS AND IT'SBEING DEALT WITH."THE DEPARTMENT OFLABOR LATER SAID IN ASTATEMENT THISHAPPENED TO A SMALLGROUP OFINDIVIDUALS.THEY SAY "WE HAVEBEEN IN TOUCH WITHEVERYONE WE KNOWWHO HAS BEENIMPACTED."BUT BY DINNERTIME,THESE TWOBROTHERS HAD NOTBEEN CONTACTED."I TRIED CALLING THEM11-12 TIMES ANDHAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TOGET THROUGH."WE AT 7 EYEWITNESSNEWS REACHED OUTTO THE GOVERNOR'SOFFICE FORCOMMENT.THEYPLEDGED TO WORKWITH THESE TWOBROTHERS TO FIX THESITUATIOA SPOKESPERSONFROM THE GOVERNORSOFFICE TELLS ME IFTHIS ISSUE HASHAPPENED TOYOU.GO ONLINE TOREPORT THE ISSUE ORCALL THE DEPARTMENTOF LABOR.THOSE IMPACTED WILLRECEIVE FREE CREDITREPORTING ANDSURVEILLANCE F