CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

New York State Electric and Gas began sending notifications to its customers Monday advising them of unauthorized access to their personal information.

There is no evidence that any customer data has been misused or that there was any malicious intent, according to NYSEG, which has consulted with police and computer forensic experts. The investigation is ongoing.

The breach involved an employee at an independent software-development firm contracted by NYSEG. The unidentified employee allowed unauthorized access to one of the company’s customer information systems. The database contains Social Security numbers, dates of birth and, in some cases, financial institution account information.

“We take our responsibility to protect customer information very seriously, and we have robust information technology security measures in place,” said Mark S. Lynch, president of NYSEG.

As a precaution, NYSEG has arranged for Experian to provide NYSEG customers with a year of free credit monitoring to identify possible fraudulent activity.

A helpline has been established to assist NYSEG customers. For help, call (877) 736-4495. The helpline will be staffed from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.