Social Security Numbers Inadvertently Posted Online for Public Viewing

The Social Security numbers of over 1,300 individuals and federal ID numbers of over 200 businesses were inadvertently posted online by the Vermont Department of Taxes. This personal data was available online for approximately two hours, and records show that the file was accessed three times. While the department was able to pin down two of the three parties who accessed the files, the third individual is unknown and is continuing to be investigated.

The Vermont Department of Taxes is mailing out letters to individuals and businesses who may have been affected, advising them of the proper steps to protect their personal data with credit protection services. In the meantime, the tax department is reviewing their safeguard and disclosure practices to ensure that a situation such as this does not occur in the future.