Other LanguagesIt’s your worst nightmare: having files with personal information available for anybody to see, including identity thieves. As time has gone on and awareness of the potential exploitation of this personal information has increased, individuals and companies have become increasingly vigilant. Occasionally, however, the neglect to safeguard personal information has resulted in catastrophe. One local incident particularly underscores the inherent danger in preserving documents with personal information. KIRO TV's Amy Clancy reports:
Thousands of nurses all over the country were at risk for identity theft and didn't even know it, until KIRO 7 warned some of them.
Now Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna is looking into what Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy uncovered.
It all started when the employees at India Tree Gourmet Spices on Elliott Avenue West in Seattle discovered that someone had been using the company's garbage cans for illegal dumps.
On at least three recent Monday mornings, dozens of boxes were found in the business's unlocked waste receptacles.
In those boxes, employee Eric Dillon tells Clancy workers found “medical records, social security numbers, driver’s licenses. Probably 30 to 40 boxes. Not only that, there’s financial records, legal documents, bank records, W2s.”
Read the full story here.
Links:
Attorney General Information on ID Theft and Privacy
Attorney General Dumpster Diving
Posted by Johnie Freatman