ICBC delays issuing COVID-19 rebate cheques​ to motorists due to cyberattack

ICBC delays issuing COVID-19 rebate cheques​ to motorists due to cyberattack
CBC
The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia announced Wednesday that it is delaying issuing one-time COVID-19 rebate cheques to eligible motorists due to a cyberattack on a third-party vendor contracted to provide printing and distribution services.

It looks like you’re going to have to wait a little longer to receive that COVID-19 rebate from ICBC.

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia announced Wednesday that it is delaying issuing one-time COVID-19 rebate cheques to eligible motorists due to a cyberattack on a third-party vendor contracted to provide printing and distribution services.

“The information held by the vendor is limited to customer names, addresses, COVID-19 rebate cheque amounts and cheque numbers. There is no indication this information was obtained. The event did not impact ICBC’s systems, which are secure,” reads a statement on ICBC’s website.

ICBC said had originally planned to begin issuing cheques this week, but stopped after it learned of the attack, and that no cheques had gone out the door.

“Ensuring the safety and security of customers’ information is our top priority,” ICBC said in its statement. “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.”

The corporation said it is “optimistic” the delay will be minimal.

Last month, the B.C. government announced that ICBC would return around $600 million in savings to motorists in the form of a one-time cheque starting in March as a result of savings during the pandemic due to fewer drivers on the road.

At the time, the province said the one-time cheques would average out to about $190 per policy but could vary from $25 to $400, depending on the type of insurance purchased.

However, CHEK News later discovered that the rebate program will actually see the worst drivers, those with the most at-fault crashes, get the largest cheques.

RELATED: Worst drivers to get largest COVID rebates from ICBC

Nicholas PescodNicholas Pescod

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