Westminster says RecTrac system blocked more than 50,000 fraudulent card attempts; system patched and restored

Westminster city staff notified council on June 2 that the city’s RecTrac registration-and-payments system experienced more than 50,000 fraudulent credit card transaction attempts. City information-technology and cybersecurity personnel detected and blocked the attempts, applied a security patch and returned the system to service the same week, the city manager said.

What happened: City Manager Andrew Andrews told council that the cybersecurity team detected and intercepted an automated series of payment attempts targeted at RecTrac, the city’s platform for parks, recreation and library payments. The city temporarily took the system offline, applied a security patch and reinstated services after confirming the patch mitigated the attempts.

Impact: Andrews said the city avoided all attempted fraudulent transactions and restored RecTrac earlier than initially expected. The city did not identify any successful unauthorized charges and thanked IT staff for the swift response.

Quote: “The city's cybersecurity team detected over 50,000 fraudulent credit card transaction attempts through RecTrac,” City Manager Andrew Andrews told council during his report.

Next steps: Staff said it will continue monitoring system security, notify customers as appropriate and report any further developments to council. The city also encouraged customers to contact the city if they have questions about transactions or account access.

Ending: City officials credited the internal cybersecurity team for rapid detection and containment and said RecTrac is back online.