Mailed Certificates Left Personal Information at Risk When Mailed to Wrong Addresses

One year of credit protection services through Lifelock have been offered to employees of the State of Tennessee after 1,770 certificates regarding health and dental insurance plans were mailed out to the wrong addresses. Information such as name, address, insurance dates and Social Security numbers were included in the letters.

While there is no belief that this information has been misused, the State of Tennessee is taking the proper precautions in ensuring the protection of their employee’s data after this incident. Anyone who has been affected has been mailed a letter with the steps needed to sign up for the credit protection services offered by the state.

Employee Fired for Stealing Thousands of Patient Records from Work

Dallas, Texas company, Parkland Memorial Hospital, is currently funding credit report monitoring services for over 1,300 individuals who had their personal medical records stolen from their office. The employee that reportedly stole them is the owner of a home health care agency, which leads investigators to believe that the employee was intending to use the information in order to gain new clients, not for monetary gain or for identity theft. The incident, however, is concerning and the medical facility is making sure they take all appropriate steps to ensure the protection of their patients and their personal information.

Paralegal Donates Papers to School, Unaware of Personal Information

It seemed like a harmless thing to do–donate “scrap” paper from the office to a child’s school. However, the paralegal at a Minneapolis firm, Sawicki and Phelps, donated paperwork that ended up having extremely personal medical information on the back. This was discovered when a parent noticed the text on the back of her daughter’s drawing that she brought home from school. The school was notified.

The school, Hale Elementary School, is looking into the rest of their scrap paper in order to remove all of the donated paperwork that was given to them from the legal agency. Parents were sent home letters notifying them of the incident and encouraging them to send back any paperwork that may have been found with personal information on the opposite side.

For anyone who may have dealt with Sawicki and Phelps in the past, it is highly recommended that you consider an identity theft protection service in order to ensure that your information is protected and secure.

Printing Error Causes Envelopes to Expose Social Security Numbers of 36,000 College Savings

Participants of the Bright Directions tuition program through Union Bank and Trust of Illinois are being notified of free enrollment for identity theft protection services after Social Security numbers of over 36,000 individuals were inadvertently printed to be seen through the envelope window in a recent newsletter delivery.

The risk for identity theft is minimal, considering the United States Postal Service sorts mail by machine, so the only individuals who would have actually seen the Social Security numbers would have been the mail carriers themselves. However, due to the sensitivity of the error, Union Bank and Trust is offering free credit report monitoring services for all those affected.

Illinois Credit Union Under Investigation After Theft of Laptop Occurs

CEFCU credit union in Peoria, Illinois has notified authorities of a laptop theft that recently occurred. The laptop that was stolen is said to have stored member information, including account numbers, which could be used in committing identity theft and fraud.

CEFCU is providing its members with one year of free credit report monitoring services in order to help protect it’s clients from possible identity theft. Those whose information may be accessible on the laptop should have received a letter in the mail from CEFCU with sign-up instructions.

Pension Fund Information of Approximately 2,000 Accidentally Publicly Posted Online

Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System is currently contacting approximately 2,000 pension fund recipients regarding a security breach that recently occurred with an unencrypted file. This file was inadvertently posted online on a public website and was accessible through a standard internet search.

While the file has been removed from the system, it is unknown how long the file was publicly available. It appears as though the file had only been accessed once, but it is still a concern for anyone whose information was posted, which included names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, and other identifiable information that can be used to commit identity theft.

It is essential that those who have retired from Pennsylvania Public Schools strongly consider an identity theft protection service in order to ensure that their information is not used inappropriately to access or harm personal or financial records.

Customers of Metrolux 14 Theaters of Loveland, Colorado Linked to Identity Theft

Police in Northern Colorado have received upwards of 1,100 fraud reports of those who live in the
Loveland, Colorado area, and have investigated and found the link–all complaints had, at one point in time, legitimately used their cards at Metrolux 14 Theaters.

After further investigation, it was found that the credit card system at Metrolux 14 Theaters had been hacked, and the breach apparently led to misuse and identity theft from the hacker.

For anyone who may have recently used their debit or credit card at Metrolux 14 Theaters in Loveland, Colorado, consider closely monitoring your financial statements and credit reports for unusual activity. Authorities suggest considering identity theft protection services in order to closely watch for anything that may be out of the ordinary on your financial accounts.

Old Tax Returns Left Outside Jackson Hewitt Location

A San Francisco Jackson Hewitt tax firm is under investigation after an evicted business owner left stacks of old tax returns and several shredding boxes out on the street outside of his leased office. A passerby notified police of the files having been left out on the street, and an investigation continued to determine who was responsible for the files.

While these files dated around 2007 and further, they still contained financial information, Social Security numbers, and other sensitive data that can be used for identity theft. If in the wrong hands, someone could damage one’s financial reputation quickly and easily. The fact that the files were left out in a public spot shows the disregard for others’ personal information.

For anyone who may have had tax services completed by the Jackson Hewitt location in San Francisco, it is highly recommended that they consider closely watching their financial accounts and perhaps utilize credit monitoring services to ensure the protection of their identity.

Online Gaming Site Hacked, Leaving Thousands of Credit Card Numbers at Risk

Steam, an online gaming and download site, recently released news about a hack to their forums and database which likely left thousands of encrypted credit card numbers, billing addresses, and passwords openly available for hackers to use inappropriately. While everything on the servers was encrypted, this doesn’t mean that all the Steam users are out of the woods for identity theft.

Steam is suggesting that individuals who use their service do at least two things to help protect themselves from identity theft. First, change their passwords for other services if their passwords match. Many times identity thieves will use passwords on other sites in order to hack additional accounts such as email accounts and online bank accounts. Additionally, users are encouraged to monitor the credit cards that they had linked with their account to ensure they are not being used for unauthorized purchases.

Another way to monitor accounts is to have a identity theft protection service do the hard work for you! Credit report monitoring services and identity theft protection services can help monitor all of your financial accounts and credit reports and notify you as soon as anything unusual occurs. This is a great way to have peace of mind and protect your identity.

Social Security Numbers Inadvertently Left Online for Public Searches

Wakulla County School District is notifying parents and students of a recent data breach. Almost 2,500 students from fourth through tenth grade had their personal information, including FCAT scores and Social Security numbers, posted online for approximately two months. This was entirely accidental. However, a further investigation led them to find that the file had been accessed fifteen times through public online searches, one which included the parent who found their child’s name on the site and notified the school of the incident.

Parents of Wakulla County School District students have been notified of the recent breach and are encouraged to monitor their child’s personal information to protect their data and identity. Credit protection services are also recommended as a way to monitor financial accounts and credit reports for unusual and suspicious activities.

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