If a fitness center moves to another location, they contract with a company to pack up and move the equipment and furniture, and to clean out the building. If the movers drop and break a piece of equipment, they’re responsible for the loss.
But what if, when the movers clean out the offices, they find cabinets full of the gym members’ personal and financial information? What if the movers just toss those files in the dumpster out back with the other trash? Who’s responsible to the members?
The Texas Attorney General’s office says it’s the fitness center, and has charged Cornerstone Fitness of Edinburg with violation of the Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act for failing to adequately store and safeguard the members’ records.
It’s a set of circumstances that’s becoming more common as companies go out of business or move to less expensive space while they try to ride out the recession. What happens to all the records they maintained? In the case of Cornerstone, those records included names, addresses, dates of birth, places of employment, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, medical information and bank and credit card account numbers.
At a time when everybody’s looking for ways to trim their expenses, maybe it’s a good idea to cancel the gym memberships, but sign up for identity theft protection with LifeLock, the industry leader in identity theft protections services.
Visit LifeLock.com for more information about their extensive services and strategies. Enroll using the LifeLock promotion code DEFENSE and pay only $9 a month and receive 30 days of free protection.
At the end of the 30-day free period, your card will be automatically billed $9 monthly unless you cancel within that first 30-day period. You can cancel anytime without penalty by calling 1-800-LIFELOCK. This offer is for new LifeLock members only.
Tags: Data breach, Identity Theft, LifeLock identity theft protection, LifeLock promotion code
