Much of the information that makes up the outline of our personal histories exists digitally. We have records, medical charts, college transcripts, military records, county clerk’s files, credit scores, and personnel records. And we’re learning the hard way that we can’t necessarily trust the accidental archivists with our information.
More than 200 million records have been lost in data breaches since 2005. Most often, the loss of digital data results not because of hackers, but from lost laptops and thumb drives. Or the hard copy files go missing. The big problem here isn’t the evil genius, or the Russian mafia; it’s the administrators who allow employees to carry your personal information out of the office for a work-at-home weekend. Or, supervisors who aren’t keeping track of what their employees are doing.
Here are just a few of the very most recent data breaches from February and March, 2008 to make the news:
- A Krafts Foods employee was traveling on business with a laptop that contained names and Social Security numbers of 20,000 employees. The laptop was stolen.
- More than 100,000 doctors learned recently that their personal information, including Social Security numbers, was posted on a Health Net Federal Services company web site, where it remained for a period of two months. Health Net Federal Services contracts with the federal government to care for the insurance matters of military families and veterans. The physicians affected by the data breach were those who had filed insurance claims for patient care between September, 2005 and September, 2006.
- An unknown number of Mecklenburg County, South Carolina residents have had their personal and financial information stolen. A county employee had a printout of bank drafts from the County Parks and Recreation Department in his car when the car was stolen.
- Crown, Stanley and Silverman, a private security firm, has notified customers that one of its employees has lost a thumb drive containing personal information on 300 individuals. Included in the lost information was Social Security numbers, dates or birth and driver’s license numbers for 109 Nevada Department of Public Safety job applicants.
And these are just the most recent incidents, not the largest. That distinction belongs to TJX, the company that own TJ Maxx, Marshalls and other discount retail stores. They lost 90 million credit card transaction records.
So, who’s at risk of identity theft? Pretty much anybody who has a job, is looking for a job, buys their children clothes at a discount store, or uses public parks.
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Tags: ID theft, Identity Theft, identity theft prevention, LifeLock
