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Equifax: Laptop With Employee Data Stolen
Chron ^ | June 20, 2006, 10:13AM | HARRY R. WEBER

Posted on 06/20/2006 9:17:19 AM PDT by Kennesaw

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For some reason I find this very ironic and amusing.
1 posted on 06/20/2006 9:17:23 AM PDT by Kennesaw
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To: Kennesaw
"It would be very difficult to link this information and determine they were actual Social Security numbers in the first place," he said.

Done. Next step?

2 posted on 06/20/2006 9:18:47 AM PDT by Wolfie
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To: Kennesaw

Now maybe they'll make it easier to communicate with them about errors and identity theft.


3 posted on 06/20/2006 9:20:34 AM PDT by ladyjane
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To: Kennesaw

I'm glad I'm not the only one.

I hope no one screws up their credit rating.


4 posted on 06/20/2006 9:20:35 AM PDT by Skooz (Chastity prays for me, piety sings...Modesty hides my thighs in her wings...)
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To: Kennesaw

People need to encrypt their laptops, and any data sources that they remove from "work", or whatever qualifies as work these days.


5 posted on 06/20/2006 9:25:41 AM PDT by Paradox (Removing all Doubt since 1998!)
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To: Kennesaw

Is there a fine for Companies that don't encrypt such important personal information? Seems if a company/organization leaves such data unprotected and it's stolen, they should be fined $500K minimum... maybe $1M.


6 posted on 06/20/2006 9:26:20 AM PDT by theDentist (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll. 17,406+ snide replies and counting!)
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To: Kennesaw

You got that right.

Equifax, works to identify "credit worthiness" for individuals and employers and to assist both in maintaining "credit worthiness", and in this modern age "credit worthiness" is under seige through modern methods of identity theft, and Equifax looses the personal information on its own employees, through negligence. That's rich.


7 posted on 06/20/2006 9:28:10 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: Kennesaw

Someone is paying big bucks for this kind of data... this is no coincidence:

http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/14811799.htm

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/business/technology/14845242.htm

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/35351.php/Laptop-with-13000-identities-stolen

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/06/05/1669381.htm


8 posted on 06/20/2006 9:28:35 AM PDT by So Cal Rocket (Proud Member: Internet Pajama Wearers for Truth)
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To: Kennesaw

So who do their employees call to put a fraud alert on their credit? :)


9 posted on 06/20/2006 9:40:22 AM PDT by P-40 (Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
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To: Kennesaw

Oh, the Hugh Manatee...


10 posted on 06/20/2006 9:41:45 AM PDT by Hegemony Cricket (Rugged individualists of the world, unite!)
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To: theDentist
Is there a fine for Companies that don't encrypt such important personal information?

One has to think there will be a massive class action lawsuit over something like this in the near future.

11 posted on 06/20/2006 9:44:17 AM PDT by IamConservative (Who does not trust a man of principle? A man who has none.)
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To: Wolfie

seems like they are targeted for this by criminal orginizations.


12 posted on 06/20/2006 9:48:17 AM PDT by Ouderkirk (Funny how death and destruction seems to happen wherever Muslims gather...)
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To: Kennesaw

Not amusing....but amazing. All my information is registered with all 3 of these agencies. They are supposed to BE CAREFUL!! If my stuff is ever stolen....I will sue them.....


13 posted on 06/20/2006 9:52:19 AM PDT by Fawn (BUILD A LONG TALL WALL)
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To: IamConservative

Yes, there shall be, but those can be dragged on forever. When a Company has SS numbers of customers, I would think somewhere in the laws would be a requirement that they take every possible step in protecting that (Federal) information. A criminal violation is what I'm wondering about.....


14 posted on 06/20/2006 9:52:19 AM PDT by theDentist (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll. 17,406+ snide replies and counting!)
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To: Kennesaw

2,500 is a drop in the bucket. This must be the hot topic of the week.


15 posted on 06/20/2006 9:53:13 AM PDT by RobRoy
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To: Wuli

"Equifax, works to identify "credit worthiness" for individuals and employers and to assist both in maintaining "credit worthiness",

You seem to be mistaken about the "mission statement" of Equifax. Their #1 mission is to avoid lawsuits. They seem to do this by avoiding any effort to be responsible for the "content" of their data. If they take any effort to "clean up" the known inaccuracies in their data, they then risk becoming liable for any remaining inaccuracies. However, if they make no effort to clean up the data, then they have less liability. It's their own version of "Don't ask, don't tell".


16 posted on 06/20/2006 10:01:03 AM PDT by spintreebob
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To: theDentist

Who would be the fining agency and how would anyone prove that the stolen equipment wasn't encryped? What encryption would be required? Even a simple password is a form of encryption.


17 posted on 06/20/2006 10:08:38 AM PDT by stuartcr (Everything happens as God wants it to.....otherwise, things would be different.)
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To: Kennesaw

I can't figure out a legitimate reason for an employee to carry this information around with him or her - particularly US SS numbers in London.


18 posted on 06/20/2006 10:19:37 AM PDT by PAR35
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To: stuartcr
Social Security Agentcy would be the fining agency. So far, how many of these companies are admitting they didn't encrypt anything? The VA, ING, EQUIFAX are the most recent that come to mind. Encryption would have to be applied to each number. I have a feeling our government has many Encryption programs that can be used, far beyond that of a password.

seems to me when the federal government gave businesses the OK to use SS numbers for employee identification purposes, there must have been some requirements about their safekeeping... I just want to read those laws... I'm googling them for now... not making much headway yet though.

19 posted on 06/20/2006 10:21:00 AM PDT by theDentist (Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll. 17,406+ snide replies and counting!)
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To: Kennesaw

Is it just me or has there been a rash of these things lately? You have to wonder if it's a combined effort. Too many in a short span to be coincidence.


20 posted on 06/20/2006 10:27:15 AM PDT by Post-Neolithic
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