Information about Beacon CRM Data
Dear Supporter,
On Monday 3 August we were notified that the third-party customer relationship management system (CRM) we use called Beacon CRM experienced a significant data breach. Beacon provides customer relationship management for around 1,500 charities and organisations in the UK. We have been advised by Beacon that this was an attack on Beacon systems not on any specific charity. We deeply value our supporters, so we want to be open and clear about what we know and our action regarding this incident.
What happened?
Beacon CRM has experienced a cyber-attack which compromised their systems and the data of their customers. This incident involved unauthorised access to Beacon’s systems and copies of the data stored there are likely to have been taken although this has not yet been confirmed. We will continue to work with the Beacon team to get further clarity on this.
The data held in this system is the kind of contact information you would expect a charity to keep [and which you have given us permission to hold] — for example your name and contact details, which may include your address, email address and/or phone number. We want to reassure you that BRF Ministries and Beacon CRM do not store any bank details or card information.
What are we doing?
Upon notification of this incident our team took immediate action to ensure that our systems were not in any way affected or compromised beyond the breach experienced by Beacon. We are confident that our systems are secure and working as they should.
We have notified the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) of the breach, and we are following their guidance. We have also notified the Charity Commission (CC).
We are continuing to liaise with Beacon as they investigate.
What do you need to do?
You do not need to do anything, but out of an abundance of caution, it would be wise practice to be extra vigilant about unusual or unexpected communications in the coming weeks.
For example:
- Please be mindful that if you are contacted by someone claiming to be from BRF Ministries and urgently seeking payment or your bank details, that is not us and please hang up.
- Avoid clicking links or opening any attachments unless you are confident of the sender.
- You may also wish to update the password on your account with us, and on any other important accounts, particularly if you use the same password in more than one place.
- If a message ever feels out of the ordinary, please pause and check with us directly by calling our supporter care team on 01865 319700.
If you have any concerns
We hope this alleviates any concerns you may have but please do get in touch if you require further information or support. You can contact our supporter care team at enquiries@brf.org.uk or 01865 319700. We will keep you informed of any developments which may affect you.
If you have an email address and would like us to add it to your record, please let us know by emailing enquiries@brf.org.uk. Please include your name, postcode, the email address you want to use, and in the subject line say ‘adding my email’ which will allow our supporter care team to process your request efficiently.
This helps us in a number of ways; it significantly reduces the cost of mailings for our charity, allowing us to direct more money into our ministry and mission, it reduces paper waste, which is eco-friendly and helps us to look after God’s creation, we can get in touch with you much easier and faster when we need to communicate something to you, and we don’t have to rely on the postal service.
Thank you as always for your support as we seek to resource Christians and the Church in multigenerational discipleship for every age and every stage.
Sincerely,
The BRF Ministries Team