Cyberattack delays ICBC mailing of COVID-19 rebate cheques to customers

A cyberattack has temporarily delayed a mailout ofCOVID-19 rebate chequestoICBCcustomers promisedby the B.C. government.

The government-owned auto insurer saysthe attack targeted a third-party vendor contracted to provide printing and distribution services, but did not impact ICBC's secure systems.

In a release issued Wednesday, ICBC says thevendor holds information about customers includingnames, addresses, COVID-19 rebate cheque amounts and cheque numbers.

"There is no indication this information was obtained," reads the release.

"Ensuring the safety and security of customers' information is our top priority. We are actively monitoring the situation with the vendor and will work with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) if any information has been obtained."

Drivers refunded from pandemic savings

In February, the province promised B.C. drivers wouldget a partial refund on their car insurance due to the hundreds of millionsICBC saved during the pandemic.

The average rebate was estimated at$190 per driver, but could be as high as $400 for some.

ICBC had planned to issue cheques to customers starting this week, but put those plans on hold before any cheques could be mailed when it learned of the attack.

ICBC says its optimistic "the delay will be minimal" and is working on issuing cheques in the coming weeks.

Premier John Horgan said the one-time rebateis drawn from net savings of $600 million ICBC sawfrom April 1 to Sept. 30. As people continue to work from home and socialize less, there have been fewer cars on the road and "a major decrease" in crashes.

The rebates are available to those who held policies during thatsix-month period, exceptcustomers with short-term, storage or distance-based policies "whose premiums already reflect lower usage."