Total Bankruptcy Newsroom
Data Breach Update: May 9, 2008
In Los Gatos, California, an ATM and credit card reader at a checkout aisle at Lunardi's supermarket was switched to a fraudulent unit and more than two dozen people have reportedly become victims of identity theft as a result. Identity theft involving credit cards puts people at risk for bankruptcy if it remains unaddressed. Officials from Lunardi's supermarket on 720 Blossom Road contacted the Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department after they realized that there was a problem with the card reader and the police say that reports by victims began pouring in after the report by the supermarket. CBS 5 Crimewatch reported that recent shoppers at Lunardi's should scrutinize their bank account and credit card accounts and look for fraudulent charges.
The Staten Island Advance has reported that computer equipment that was stolen from a hospital finance office in Rosebank, New York during December contained the personal data of approximately 88,000 patients who have received treatment at Staten Island University Hospital. Although it has been 4 months since the theft, hospital administrators are only just not beginning to send letters to patients whose data, including Social Security and health insurance numbers, were contained in files on the hard drive of the stolen desktop computer and backup drive. Those who are affected in this data breach are being offered one year of free credit monitoring service at the expense of the hospital. A hospital spokesperson said that no medical information was contained on the stolen computer equipment.
In Denver, Colorado, it has been reported that a mortgage office closure may have opened the door to identity theft of former customers. The Denver Channel reported that mortgage files containing sensitive personal information were recently found in a trash dumpster, along with two discarded laptop computers that also contained sensitive data. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's Department has reportedly secured the dumped personal data that was found behind offices formerly used by Cove Creek Mortgage and Front Range Mortgage. The information in the files and on the computer hard drive contained names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and bank, credit and investment account information of former customers of Front Range Mortgage. The computers and files were abandoned by the company when the office was closed in January and were apparently placed in the trash behind the building on April 26, 2008. All former customers of Front Range Mortgage are urged by the district attorney to place a fraud alert on their credit reports and monitor all financial accounts closely.
The Iredell County Tax Collector's Office in Statesville, North Carolina has issued a statewide notice about a recent data breach. A courier vehicle that was providing services for First Citizens Bank was stolen in Charlotte, North Carolina on April 22, 2008. The vehicle reportedly contained data related to Iredell County tax payments and has not been recovered. Prime Newswire reported that the stolen data contained a computer report of 468 taxpayer's check information that included account numbers, check numbers, check amounts and routing numbers of the customers' bank accounts. Tax bills were also included and those documents contained the names, addresses and other public information of taxpayers. Officials in Iredell County are working to notify taxpayers who may have had personal information exposed in this data breach, and First Citizens Bank is notifying all of the taxpayers who had checks processed and deposited. Taxpayers in Iredell County are urged to protect themselves against potential identity theft by reviewing their credit reports and closely monitoring all financial accounts.
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