PDPC Reports and Forms

Security Alert for SecureAccess Washington (SAW) users

Scammers are using sponsored ads on search engines to lure users to unauthorized websites that look like SAW, but aren’t. The links in these ads send customers to fake websites that can compromise their personal information.

How the Office of the State Treasurer (OST) is keeping customer information secure:

• Our Information Services Division is working with WaTech’s Office of Cybersecurity to protect our customers. WaTech is leading the response to this incident, as OST works to ensure security of user information on our systems.

Tips to keep your SAW account secure:

• Access your SAW account by using a direct link only. For example, the SAW link found on OST’s Local Government Investment Pool webpage. Do not use a search engine to navigate to the SAW login page.
• Carefully examine all links from the internet before clicking, even if they look official. When going to a government agency website, make sure it has a .gov address.
• Choose strong and unique passwords. Choose a password that’s a minimum of 12 to 14 characters in length, and use a mix of numbers, symbols, capital letters and lower-case letters to make your password harder to crack.
• Update your SAW account password regularly and do not use the same password for multiple logins.
• Steer clear of public Wi-Fi when accessing your SAW account. Hackers can easily intercept your data as it travels between your device and a public Wi-Fi router.

How to protect your SAW account if you suspect your information was compromised:

• If you are concerned that you entered your login information into a fraudulent website, you should change your password using this secure link to SAW, and change any other passwords that use the same or similar credentials. We highly recommend using unique passwords for different accounts.