A Queensland company hit by a recent data hack appears to have collapsed. 

Pareto Phone, the Brisbane-based telemarketing company at the heart of a charity cyber attack that exposed tens of thousands of Australian donors' personal details, has collapsed, leaving over 100 employees jobless, according to reports. 

The company had recently come under scrutiny for the data breach, which saw donor information, including dates of birth and contact details, exposed on the dark web.

The abrupt collapse of Pareto Phone has left its employees and the charities it served in shock. 

An anonymous ex-employee has alleged that they were informed about their job loss without prior notice. 

Pareto's online presence, including its website, phone number, and Google business profile, has also been deactivated.

The data breach incident, which impacted charities like The Cancer Council, The Fred Hollows Foundation, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), is currently under investigation by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). 

The company faces allegations of failing to meet Australian privacy standards. If found guilty of privacy law violations, Pareto could face a maximum penalty of $50 million.

An ex-employee has told the ABC that Pareto Phone consistently failed to adhere to Australian privacy standards, indicating that sensitive data was not removed from their systems when no longer needed. 

Highly sensitive employee information, including police checks, child support documents, HR incidents, immigration sponsorship details, COVID-19 vaccination credentials, tax file numbers, passports, and licences, was also leaked during the breach.

Pareto Phone is yet to contact potentially affected people to confirm whether their information was compromised in the cyber attack. 

The OAIC initiated an investigation into Pareto Phone and has notified the company's owner, Merchant Place Investments.