(SUMMERDALE, Ala.) A hacked email at the Care House in Baldwin County has caused quite a bit of concern. Care House is known for helping child abuse victims and when an email went out to clients and parents that the group's director was stranded in Spain and in need of money, many of them were obviously uneasy.
It's a bogus email you may have seen before, however this time the sender was able to get a hold of the agency's entire mail list. Hacked at Christmas time, it could have been worse.
"Any kind of email regarding our children that goes to me directly to my account, " said Nicki Whitaker Director of the Care House.
Whitaker says hackers did not compromise sensitive information. The bogus email asked anyone on the agency's account to send money.
"It was time lost from,you know, we had families coming in to pick up Christmas gifts for the children. We had several things going on," said Whitaker.
The District Attorney's office considers what happened a crime and it's investigating the incident.
"When someone goes into your email account and gets a hold of all your contacts and emails you think - what do they have?" said Whitaker.
It's good news the folks at Care House caught on to the hacking. Clients and parents were obviously worried.
"They will target anybody. Any opportunity out there for them to gain it all or they are going to do it. So we've got to be mindful and recognize," said Whitaker. "I've never been to Spain so I can't tell you, but apparently my trip to Spain was not a good trip, " she said.
Luckily the hackers didn't make any money off their escapade. Most folks on the email list knew better than to send them money.
