A message to our supporters about a security incident involving Beacon

We want to let you know about a security incident affecting Beacon, the platform used by Autism Hampshire and Avenues to manage fundraising and supporter information.

Beacon has informed us that an unauthorised third party gained access to parts of its systems and that copies of certain database backups may have been taken. As a result, some of the personal information we hold about supporters in Beacon, such as names and contact details, have been accessed.

We understand that this news may be concerning, and we are very sorry for any worry or uncertainty this may cause.

We would like to reassure you that we do not store payment card information or bank account details on Beacon. Based on the information available to us, this type of financial information has not been affected by the incident.

Beacon is continuing to investigate exactly what happened and the extent of any impact. However, we believe it is important to be open and transparent, and we wanted to inform our supporters as soon as possible.

As a precaution, we recommend remaining vigilant for any unexpected emails, phone calls, text messages or letters that ask for personal information or encourage you to take urgent action. If you receive a communication that seems suspicious, please do not click on links, open attachments or provide personal information unless you are satisfied that it is genuine. Please note that we will never contact you unexpectedly by phone to ask for donations, bank details or passwords. Emails from our fundraising team will only be sent from an @avenuesgroup.org.uk email address, so please check email addresses carefully before responding.

Beacon has engaged independent cyber security specialists to investigate the incident and is working with the relevant authorities. In line with our data protection obligations, we have also reported the incident to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and will continue to engage with the ICO as appropriate as further information becomes available.

We remain in regular contact with Beacon and will continue to monitor developments closely. We are committed to keeping you informed and will provide further updates as appropriate, including when the investigation has been completed.

If you have any questions or concerns, or would like further information about how your personal information is handled, please contact our Communications team at Communications@avenuesgroup.org.uk. We are here to help and will do our best to answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your understanding, patience and continued support. It means a great deal to us.