Pareto Phone have told us recently that Barnardos and other charities in New Zealand and Australia were affected by a data breach that happened in April this year. Pareto Phone provides phone and other fundraising services to charities and experienced a cyber-attack that resulted in access to their systems by an unauthorised third party. Barnardos is not currently using Pareto Phone or any of parent company Pareto’s services and hasn’t since 2017. However, we did so in the past.

All the files affected have now been reviewed and Pareto Phone’s cyber security analysts have not found any files relating to Barnardos containing personal data that is at high or medium risk of being misused. Some low-risk personal data was found in letters sent on behalf of Barnardos to donors in 2011, including names, postal addresses, and amounts pledged.

Most importantly, there’s no indication that Barnardos donors’ financial information has been compromised.

Our own systems have not been affected, and we implement stringent security measures and best practices to safeguard all donor data.

We take the privacy of our supporters very seriously and are disappointed that this breach occurred. We apologise for any worry this may cause our incredible supporters who are so committed to ensuring every child in Aotearoa thrives.

If you have any concerns about this incident, feel free to contact us at 0800 227 627 or fundraising@barnardos.org.nz.

Pareto Phone data breach – August 2023