VANCOUVER -- ICBC has announced that it’s now mailing COVID-19 rebate cheques to eligible customers in “small batches,” after a delay caused by a cyberattack.
The rebates, which will be sent to customers who had insured vehicles between April 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2020, come thanks to a “major decrease” in crashes and costs as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
“ICBC has begun mailing COVID-19 rebate cheques in small batches directly to eligible customers and continues to work on options to send out more cheques in the coming weeks,” reads a statement released by the insurance provider on March 26.
The cyber attack was not on ICBC specifically, but another company it had contracted to issue the cheques. The corporation first shared word of the cyberattack last week when it announced the delay, but now says it has mailed out about 30,000 rebate cheques.
“The distribution originally scheduled to begin March 15 was delayed due to a cyberattack on a third-party vendor contracted by ICBC to print and distribute them,” reads the statement.
ICBC maintains that its own systems have remained secure and that there’s no evidence that its customer’s data was stolen.
“There remains no indication that any information was obtained by unauthorized parties” it says.
The investigation into the attack is happening in Ontario, and the corporation expects to provide an update on soon.
“ICBC expects to provide an update soon on whether they will be able to proceed with the original plan to have the vendor issue the cheques.”
The rebate cheques will be for about 19 per cent of the premium customers paid for coverage during the spring and summer of 2020. For most customers, this comes out to $190.
