The incident occurred with the supplier, not within the municipality's own IT systems. As the administration uses Vanden Broele's services, the consequences could affect the government and its residents. Therefore, extra caution is advised regarding suspicious emails, text messages, phone calls, and payment requests that appear to originate from the Local Government of Hooglede.
Information from the supplier indicates that no documents or personal data of Hooglede residents were accessed or stolen. Making appointments and using the e-counter can still be done securely.
Residents are advised never to click on links without verification, never to disclose personal information, passwords, or codes, and to carefully check unexpected payment requests before paying. Alertness is key when unexpectedly contacted about a requested certificate. Messages in eBox should always be consulted directly via the official My eBox environment.
If in doubt about a message from the Local Government of Hooglede, residents should contact them via the official contact details (051203030 or info@hooglede.be) and not through a link or phone number from the suspicious message. Competent authorities and all staff have been informed, and the IT and information security department is closely monitoring the situation.
