A cyberattack at Hospitality Staffing Solutions allowed criminals to access the data of at least 104,660 employees and former employees, according to a lawsuit filed against the staffing firm and an online filing. The data allegedly included names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers and financial account information, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims the company did not maintain adequate security to protect its systems. It was filed Aug. 18 by plaintiff Joshua Cariola and seeks class action status.
Employees’ data can be used to open financial accounts, take out loans, file fraudulent tax returns, get driver’s licenses in employees’ names but with another person’s photo, and give false information to police during an arrest, according to the suit.
Cariola, a New Jersey resident, said in the lawsuit that $1,500 was taken from his PayPal account on June 22.
In a filing with the Maine Attorney General, the company said it discovered the data breach on June 2 and immediately took steps to secure its systems. An investigation found that an unauthorized person gained access to the company’s computer systems on March 2 and there was a gap in activity until May 30. Hospitality Staffing Solutions is providing one year of free complimentary credit monitoring and identity theft protection services.