A series of break-ins at Australia Post’s Melbourne GPO has triggered major security and privacy concerns, with thousands of customers potentially affected.
Between July 6 and 17, offenders forced entry into the Bourke Street building’s post office box room on three separate occasions, damaging infrastructure and accessing mail.
A fourth attempt was unsuccessful due to heightened security.
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Mercer Superannuation has issued a warning to its 1.6 million members, stating that some mail containing personal or financial details may have been stolen.
“We do not know the exact number of members that may have been impacted,” Mercer said in a statement.
“We can confirm that the potential impact is limited to members who sent mail via post to our Melbourne GPO box in July and have not received an acknowledgment from us,” it said.
Australia Post has confirmed damage to the facility and said all affected customers have been notified.
However, due to the untracked nature of letters, it remains unclear what was taken.
“Plans are well underway for this facility to move to a new, nearby custom-designed facility next month,”Australia Post said.
Mercer has reported the incident to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and APRA.
The company confirmed there’s no evidence so far of stolen data being shared or sold.
“Currently there is no indication that any member’s personal information has been published externally or sold as a result of this incident.”
Customers concerned about tracked items are advised to use the AusPost app or website for updates.
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