The City of Hoboken has opened a call center after a November 27th ransomware attack as security concerns emerge related to potential personal data breaches.
The call center will offer credit monitoring and identity protection services and can be reached at 1-833-799-4365. Operators will be on hand Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., the city said in an email and a Nixle alert.
“Since the City of Hoboken was the victim of a ransomware incident on November 27, 2024, it has been working with cybersecurity specialists and federal law enforcement to determine the source, scope, and nature of the incident,” the statement says.
“The investigation is ongoing and if the investigation determines any personal information was potentially compromised, the City will make every effort to notify potentially impacted individuals.”
On Sunday morning, Mayor Ravi Bhalla wrote on X that the call center was started “out of an abundance of caution.”
“The City has created a call center to ensure that our residents have a place to get any questions answered and out of an abundance of caution, we have also set up free credit monitoring and identity theft protection in the event individuals want to take extra precautions,” he said.
“This remains an ongoing investigation and the city is working closely with law enforcement and IT specialists.”
The ransomware attack caused City Hall to close early on November 27th and shut down online services for days.
One week ago, the city indicated that most services were back up and running, though e-mail and Wi-Fi were still not restored.
The city has declined to comment on the specifics of what the ransom is, indicating the matter is the subject of an ongoing federal investigation.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla.
Typical, Ravi.
This “call center” is Cyber Scout (look up their review online) and the first thing the offshore (India) agent asks for is your personal details (name, email, and phone).
They then tell you to you have to register via the link in the email/letter you should have received from the City of Hoboken.
Brilliant!
Ravi delivers again.
The Cyb Scouts will be taking care of your personal information and sell it to the ChiComs (and Team Ravi) at a time of their choosing. Good job, Ravi with your “abundance of caution.” This is a brain dead action all around with this novel and idiotic “call center.” SMH