Government: August 2007 Archives

The personal information of 106,000 Connecticut state taxpayers was put at risk when a laptop was stolen from the state's Department of Revenue Services. The laptop contained the names and Social Security numbers of 10% of the state's taxpayers.

The Department of Revenue Services has set up a toll-free number for victims and the state plans to launch a section on their web site for taxpayers to determine if they are affected by the theft. The web site will also attempt to educate victims on how to alert the three major credit reporting agencies.

If you believe you may have been affected by this incident please contact the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services or go to http://www.ct.gov/drs

The personal financial data of almost 300,000 New York City retirees could be in the hands of identity thieves after a laptop was stolen from a midtown Manhattan restaurant.

The computer belonged to a private consultant working for the City's Financial Information Services Agency.

The information possibly included the names, addresses, Social Security numbers and pension amounts.

There is potentially some good news for affected retires. It is believed that the sensitive information on the computer may have been encrypted. This has yet to be confirmed.

Source: "Laptop stolen containing city retirees' data," Aug. 23, New York Daily News.

California State Pension System Exposes Social Security Numbers on Print Brochures

The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CaIPERS) exposed all or part of the recipient's SSN on the address panel of a brochure sent to retirees. The error occurred when the staff did not recognize that the file contained social security numbers.

Approximately 445,000 retirees are affected.