Security breach sends phishing scams to your inbox

By REYNA REVELLE
WISH-TV | wishtv.com

A former state contractor has been hacked, leading to a security breach of a series of suspicious emails that appear to come from Indiana government offices urging you to pay tolls to avoid late fees.

Phishing emails with subject lines “TxTag Account Suspension Warning” appeared early Tuesday. News 8 received at least 15 variations from state agencies, including the Indiana Office of Technology and the Department of Insurance, and first reported on it Tuesday morning.

“For this particular situation and other similar situations … I would not click on anything if you’re the least bit concerned,” said Dr. Ankur Gupta, department chair and professor of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Butler University.

The Indiana Office of Technology says to disregard the suspicious emails if you get one. The state does not send unpaid toll notifications via text or email messages. The office is working to halt further communications from the compromised account.

The Office of Technology says the state ended its ties with the contractor on Dec. 31, 2024. Fortunately, the office doesn’t believe any current state systems are compromised.

Gupta says cyberattacks are growing more common.

“You just have to be more careful,” Gupta said. “It’s happening more frequently, but I think we’re getting smarter as people to catch and identify those kinds of things.”

Gupta encourages you to remain vigilant against phishing attempts and report suspicious communications to the appropriate officials.

“Watch who you are getting stuff from,” Gupta said. “Usually, if you don’t answer unidentified phone calls, don’t respond to an unsolicited email.”

This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/local-news/indiana-state-security-breach-emails.