A company the City of Mountlake Terrace uses for online utility payments has been breached by ransomware.
The City of Mountlake Terrace contracts with Automatic Funds Transfer Services, Inc. (AFTS) to handle Mountlake Terrace resident and commercial utility billing including processing of paper check payments. The AFTS servers were encrypted by ransomware sometime between the evening of February 3 and the morning of February 4, 2021. There is no direct threat to the City of Mountlake Terrace’s network as a result of this incident.
Potentially breached information from the AFTS database may have included the following personal information: utility bill account number, name, address, and billing amounts. For residents or businesses who pay their utility bills by mailing a paper check, scanned copies of their paper checks are also stored on the AFTS servers that include bank account and routing information. It is unknown at this time whether these scanned copies of checks have been illicitly extricated from the network.
Residents or businesses who pay their utility bill by mailing a paper check are encouraged to monitor their bank account for any unusual activity and report suspicious activity to your bank right away.
Currently, customers can drop off payments in the utility payment box at Interim City Hall parking lot (Redstone Building, 6100 219th Street SW) or contact your bank to set up online bill pay. If you have additional questions, you can contact our Utility Billing Department at utilitybilling@mltwa.gov or (425) 744-6214.
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