A Bangor nonprofit that specializes in providing services to people with intellectual disabilities, autism, and mental illness lost money in a cyber attack over the summer.
The organization, OHI, was the victim of a “sophisticated social engineering attack” in which staff were tricked into providing access to the organization’s bank accounts to scammers, according to an August notice obtained by the Bangor Daily News that was sent to vendors and employees whose data may have been exposed in the breach.
OHI has about $13 million in assets and last year raised $19.3 million in revenue, according to the group’s most recent public tax filing. The company did not confirm how much money was stolen in a statement from James Harris, a lawyer with Sheehan Phinney, OHI’s New Hampshire-based law firm.
The attack happened on July 29, and employees received phone calls and messages that seemed to be coming from the bank OHI uses, according to the August notice. The callers knew personal details about OHI employees and said they were attempting to prevent fraudulent banking transactions, the notice said.
During those interactions, the “hackers” were able to get the credentials to access OHI’s financial accounts and made several transfers of those funds. Some of those funds have been recovered, Harris said.
The next day, OHI reported that money was missing from some of its accounts to the Bangor Police Department, which is investigating, Jason McAmbley, a spokesperson for the department, said.
The attackers may have also gained access to the group’s internal accounting system, but a review by a forensic IT firm found no evidence that personal data or information was taken, but the firm couldn’t completely rule it out, OHI’s notice employees and vendors said.
OHI currently supports around 400 people across the state, and it also provides residential as well as community services for people with intellectual disabilities, autism, and mental illness. It was founded more than 40 years ago.
The group’s 2024 filing listed Melinda Ward as president and CEO, but she is no longer listed on OHI’s website. Ward was the organization’s second-ever president, who succeeded OHI’s founder, Bonnie-Jean Brooks, in January 2022. Harris declined to comment on the staffing changes.
Margaret Longsworth is now listed as interim president and CEO. Along with Ward, Deb Smith — who was listed as an associate CEO on the group’s most recent tax filing — and Lisa Roye, who was listed as the chief financial officer, are no longer listed on the website as working for OHI.
