Stolen computer server sparks ID theft fears

[AnOhioan]

Nearly 1 million prospective AIG customers could be at risk


WASHINGTON - A thief recently stole a computer server belonging to a major U.S. insurance company, and company officials now fear that the personal data of nearly 1 million people could be at risk, insurance industry sources tell NBC News.

The computer server contains personal electronic data for 930,000 Americans, including names, Social Security numbers and tens of thousands of medical records. The server was stolen on March 31, along with a camcorder and other office equipment, during a break-in at a Midwest office of American Insurance Group (AIG), company officials confirm.

AIG has not yet notified any of the people whose personal data are on the stolen server. AIG security officials have been conducting a forensic analysis of the theft, and warned the 690 insurance brokers of the problem on May 26.

The AIG spokesman tells NBC: "There is no indication that the thieves were seeking data, rather than valuable hardware....To date, we are unaware of any of this information being compromised."

More at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13327187/

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

1. AIG...

... those folks were Shang Hai'd.

[truthisfreedom]

2. three days don't go by without another news story on data theft. this has

to come to an end. ultra-secure storage needs to be the LAW when it comes to social security numbers and other identity factors. it's time for us to have a kind of encryption that NOBODY can hack.

[alfredo]

3. If you care about this issue, or other compromises of our info,

Read this and take action.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/credit/2006-06-14-credit-freeze-usat_x.htm

Bill would limit consumers' credit rights
Updated 6/14/2006 3:05 AM ET



By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY
SEATTLE — Congress is considering pre-empting laws in 17 states that allow anyone to freeze their own credit and instead restricting the privilege to ID theft victims.
The proposed Financial Data Protection Act of 2006, expected to be voted on by the House as soon as next week, comes on the heels of the recent theft of sensitive data for 26 million veterans and active duty military personnel. If it becomes law, vets and military personnel who live in states that permit unrestricted credit freezes would lose that option.

A credit freeze cuts off access to your credit history. Since most banks and merchants insist on seeing a credit report before issuing credit, identity thieves can't open bogus accounts using ill-gotten data. Under the bill, backed by the financial services industry, simply having your data lost or stolen isn't enough. You must file a police report describing a specific instance of it being used to commit a crime.

"It's like telling someone you can't put a deadbolt on your front door until after you've been burglarized," says Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna.




FREEZING CREDIT

States that permit all consumers to request freeze:
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Minnesota
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma
North Carolina
Utah
Vermont
Wisconsin

States that permit only ID theft victims to request freeze:
Hawaii
Kansas
South Dakota
Texas
Washington

Source: Consumers Union

[AnOhioan]

4. LaTourette (R) is a co-author of this bill

Yet another reason to work hard to take back the Congress this fall.



http://katzforcongress.com/index.php

Donate to Lew if you can.

[alfredo]

7. I need to see where he gets his campaign funding?

I wish I could give to all good candidates, but I am poor. I help by volunteering and organizing.

[KarenS]

5. Anyone AND everyone should be able to freeze their own

credit !!!!

This is a real hot button with me. Fraudulent accounts were opened in my Husband's name in Arizona mid-April. It has been a lot of work & time & frustration & money to get them shut down AND Arizona merchants are free to continue to open new accounts with these criminals. So far no one has expected payment from us. But we monitor all 3 of the Credit Bureaus each week, waiting to see if there's going to be more.

Besides the folks getting the "free" merchandise, the Credit Bureaus are making a fortune off of this !!!



:nuke:

[alfredo]

8. There's a law being introduced that will change the rules for

consumers, making it much harder to protect your credit.


This is from my first post in this thread.


Bill would limit consumers' credit rights
Updated 6/14/2006 3:05 AM ET E-mail | Save | Print | Reprints & Permissions | Subscribe to stories like this



By Byron Acohido, USA TODAY
SEATTLE — Congress is considering pre-empting laws in 17 states that allow anyone to freeze their own credit and instead restricting the privilege to ID theft victims.
The proposed Financial Data Protection Act of 2006, expected to be voted on by the House as soon as next week, comes on the heels of the recent theft of sensitive data for 26 million veterans and active duty military personnel. If it becomes law, vets and military personnel who live in states that permit unrestricted credit freezes would lose that option.

A credit freeze cuts off access to your credit history. Since most banks and merchants insist on seeing a credit report before issuing credit, identity thieves can't open bogus accounts using ill-gotten data. Under the bill, backed by the financial services industry, simply having your data lost or stolen isn't enough. You must file a police report describing a specific instance of it being used to commit a crime.

"It's like telling someone you can't put a deadbolt on your front door until after you've been burglarized," says Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna.

[DavidMS]

6. Losing a server takes real skill

They are kept in datacenters and kept very secure. I can't understand why a server containing such sensitive information (and being a rather expensive device) would not be relitively well protected in transit.

What I suspect happened is that a contractor was told to move it, so he/she put it in the trunk (with the rear seats folded down) and when stoping for lunch some opertunistic theves saw it and broke in. Just a guess though.

[Nihil]

9. So does reading the OP :-)

> The server was stolen on March 31, along with a camcorder and other
> office equipment, during a break-in at a Midwest office of American
> Insurance Group (AIG), company officials confirm.

:hi: