Important Information for Make-A-Wish Supporters (2013-2015)
What’s happened?
Many supporters will be aware of a cyber security incident involving Pareto Phone, an organisation we previously worked with to provide telemarketing services.
This incident was reported to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) in August 2023.
You may have heard about this in the media or through another charity partner you support.
What data has been impacted?
We were disappointed to learn that a small number of our supporter information may be affected by this incident at Pareto. The relates to information from 2013-15 and may include a combination or subset of the following basic contact and personal information.
- Basic contact information: First Name, Surname, Email, Address, PH and/or Mobile.
- Other personal information: Date of Birth
It is important to note, this impacted data does not include identity information, such as passports, tax file numbers and driver’s licenses, or financial information such as bank account, credit card details or donation amounts.
What happens now?
Make-A-Wish has been proudly supporting critically ill children in Australia since 1985. We are committed to protecting the privacy of our supporters and takes our privacy obligations seriously.
We took action which included:
- Reviewing information provided by Pareto and our activities from 2013-2015 to best understand the subsets of contact and personal information affected.
- Contacting a very small number of our supporters.
- Shared this information with our supporters online.
We understand Pareto has recently gone into liquidation and we have asked the liquidators to keep us informed should any new developments come to light. We will continue to share updates with our community should we receive further information.
We are deeply sorry that some of our supporters from this period may have been impacted by this incident at Pareto, and sincerely apologise.
Make-A-Wish has a dedicated support team based at our Richmond HQ and you can reach us during business hours via [email protected] should you have questions.
Thank you for your support in 2023
Every
day, Make-A-Wish exists to make incredible wishes possible for critically ill
children. We can only do this because of the generous support of the community.
We would like to sincerely thank all of our supporters for their continuing belief in our mission and for the difference made in the lives of the wish children it’s our privilege to support and remind everyone to be vigilant to online scams during the festive season.
Government advice on staying vigilant to scams
We would also encourage all of our valued supporters to stay vigilant when it comes to online activity and be alert to scams and phishing attempts. The Australian Government has some helpful advice in this area if you’d like to know more:
The latest Australian Government cyber advice and recognising and reporting scams.
The Australian Government’s Scam Watch Centre has helpful information about types of scams and protecting yourself.