Columbus resident Mary B. Lelotte discovered some of her information was on the dark web after about a dozen visits to City Hall.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A cyberattack on the city of Columbus has affected hundreds of thousands of people, including Mary B. Lelotte, who has lived in Columbus since 1988.
“I was scared that my credit would be stolen and used against me,” Lelotte said.
RELATED: Second class action lawsuit filed against city representing police and firefighters after cyberattack
Initially, Lelotte wasn’t sure whether her data was on the dark web. 10TV asked her if she wanted a cybersecurity expert to check if her information was there, and she agreed.
Experts said her information was listed there along with thousands of other civilians.
Lelotte said he visited City Hall at least 12 times and had his ID scanned.
“For the past 18 years, I’ve been going to City Hall for a variety of reasons, to meet with city council members, to attend city hall meetings and council meetings,” she said.
Lelotte said she immediately froze her credit when she learned her data could have been compromised, and she said she wished city leaders had informed residents about the issue sooner.
“I believe this can happen in any big city. I’m surprised that we, the citizens of Columbus, didn’t know about this long before it was reported in the media. Why didn’t the mayor hold a press conference sooner and say, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, this happened and we need to take action and protect our trust,'” she said.
I asked Lelotte what she’s learned from her experiences so far.
“This is a much bigger issue here. This is a big thing. What I’ve learned is to know what’s going on in your community and hold authorities accountable to make sure residents are protected,” Lelotte said.
