Some Corner Brook Civic Centre ticket buyers may have had personal information stolen

The company handling ticket sales for events at the Corner Brook Civic Centre is warning some customers they may be victims of cyberthieves.

In an email to sent to some of its customers on Monday, AudienceView said there had been a "security incident" and personal information may have been stolen — including names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and payment card information. 

The company's email also told ticket buyers to watch their account statements for any suspicious activity.

The Civic Centre is the main event building in Corner Brook, hosting everything from concerts to hockey games to skating shows.

AudienceView is the third-party company selling tickets through the Civic Centre's website to the events. The company said it discovered someone had breached security on its site sometime between Feb. 17 and Feb. 21, and its software was affected by malicious malware.

The company said it has removed the malware from its systems, added more security measures, and reported the incident to federal law enforcement.

AudienceView would not answer questions about whether it's the ticket vendor for other venues in Newfoundland and Labrador, or how many Civic Centre customers may had their information stolen.

The company has pulled its ticketing software offline, meaning some ticket sales for events at the Civic Centre are halted for now.

"We understand this is an interruption for our clients' operations and their events, and are working hard to safely bring the product back online. We are in direct communication with our clients, providing regular updates," reads the company's statement.

In response to questions from CBC about whether the city will continue to use AudienceView, Corner Brook communications officer Ryan Butt said "it's early in the situation. It would be premature to determine an outcome. This sort of thing isn't unusual and as a large multi-national company they're obliged to inform customers ASAP."

The company has offered free credit monitoring and identity production services for the next year through Trans Union. However, affected customers have to enrol in order to receive those services through an email sent by the company.

The city said tickets for Friday night's senior hockey game can be bought in-person at the box office because tickets are general admission. 

"We've moved into old school," said Civic Centre general manger Willie Smith. "Without the assigned seating it didn't really have any impact."

However, the venue is still not selling tickets for the Silver Blades ice show. Customers can reserve seats for that event by calling or stopping by the box office. Staff will get in touch at a later time for payment.