# Another laptop with SSN's and personal data stolen.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-laptop-with-ssns-and-personal-data-stolen/416962>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [August 26, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-laptop-with-ssns-and-personal-data-stolen/416962 "2007-08-26T03:04:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-laptop-with-ssns-and-personal-data-stolen/416962/1 "2007-08-26T03:04:43Z")

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(Maybe this belongs in The Pit, feel free to move it…)

I just got a letter from my employer (AT&T) alerting me to _“Potential Exposure of Personal Identifying Information”_. It seems that an employee of a “professional services firm” had their laptop stolen. There were files containing names, SSN’s, and benefit information on the hard drive.

So, hey, they’re springing for a year of Equifax Credit Watch Gold. How nice of them. What could be better? Oh, I don’t know…maybe not letting contractors download the stuff to their own laptops in the first place? Oh well – I guess I know what I’ll be doing most of the day on Monday: making the requisite phone calls to credit agencies, etc, ON COMPANY TIME, ON A COMPANY PHONE, ON A COMPANY COMPUTER, AND USING THE COMPANY’S NETWORK. Try and stop me.

I wonder if they will make any kind of media announcement? I think that they’d much rather keep it quiet.

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**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-laptop-with-ssns-and-personal-data-stolen/416962/2 "2007-08-26T04:07:21Z")

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I have to agree with your contention with your employer allowing that kind of information to be downloaded on a third party’s laptop. That just doesn’t make good sense.

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-laptop-with-ssns-and-personal-data-stolen/416962/3 "2007-08-26T04:28:25Z")

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My wife just got the same notification. I did not realize you were another AT&T’er. Did you come with the name or from SBC? My wife survived every cut with AT&T in the last 15 years.

Now this right before our vacation. Even the timing sucks extra!

We seem to be double dippers, I was on the veterans hardrive, so now we have both been endangered by bad security outside of our control.

Jim

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**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\
**Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-laptop-with-ssns-and-personal-data-stolen/416962/4 "2007-08-26T04:44:25Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Did you come with the name or from SBC?

Pacific Bell, class of '78. Took ERB in 2001, hired by “ **T** ” last year. Hopefully I can stick around long enough to bridge my time.