Hackers accessed personal information belonging to roughly 300,000 Georgia Power customers after breaching the utility's online portal, the company confirmed Monday, Oct. 5.

Georgia Power serves about 2.8 million customers statewide, including Dunwoody and Brookhaven residents. The breach affected roughly 1 in 9 accounts.

The stolen data includes names, mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and the last four digits of Social Security numbers, according to Georgia Power's parent company, Southern Company. Bank account numbers, payment card numbers and driver's license numbers were not accessed.

Power delivery was not affected.

What Georgia Power is doing

Spokesperson Tiffany Anthony said in a statement that the company detected the suspicious activity, acted immediately and engaged law enforcement. The company said its investigation found no evidence that unauthorized access is continuing.

Georgia Power is notifying affected customers by both email and U.S. mail. Those notifications include instructions to enroll in one year of free credit monitoring through Equifax.

The company said it continues to monitor its systems around the clock.

Scam concerns

At least one customer told WTVM she initially mistook the legitimate notification email for a scam because it asked her to click a link and call a number to enroll in credit monitoring.

Georgia Power warned customers to watch for impersonation attempts. The company said it will never threaten immediate disconnection or demand payment over the phone.

Broader scope

The breach extended beyond Georgia. About 100,000 Alabama Power customers and some Mississippi Power customers were also affected, bringing the total to roughly 400,000 Southern Company accounts, according to Rough Draft Atlanta.

Georgia Power has not disclosed when the unauthorized access occurred or who was behind it.

What affected customers should do

Customers who have not received a notification can call Georgia Power's dedicated line at 1-800-900-6021, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Affected customers should enroll in the free Equifax credit monitoring using the instructions in their notification letter. Residents can also request free annual credit reports at annualcreditreport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228, and can contact the major credit bureaus to place a security freeze on their accounts.