SAN JOSE 2 computers stolen -- held personal data (185,000 identities)

[UpInArms]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/09/BABADIGEST3.DTL

Two computers containing personal information, including the Social Security numbers, of more than 185,000 people were stolen from the San Jose Medical Group last month, authorities said Friday.

<snip>

The computers contained financial records along with personal information, Garcia said. Officials at the medical group contacted the three major credit bureaus and informed them of the theft.

...a bit more at link...

Why didn't they notify the people that were compromised?

(edit: I hate typos :( )

[Journeyman]

1. Maybe because notifying 185,000 people direct . . .

would cost a minimum of $30,000 and more? . . .

[UpInArms]

2. and what is the possible loss for any

of those individuals?

[Occulus]

7. Waaah. Boo hoo.

My heart just bleeds.

I mean, really.

[NYC]

3. Choicepoint, Lexis Nexis, and now this.

How many hundreds of thousands of people are now at risk of financial calamity because of these thefts?

[TahitiNut]

4. Are we saying the San Jose Medical Group permits ...

... such information to just sit unsecured and unencrypted on desktop or laptop comuters?

Somebody should be consulting the Boccardo Law Firm in San Jose.

[Daphne08]

5. Why is this story just NOW being reported?

It happened on March 28.

[dissident0]

6. More stolen data

Wow, another one. This one is near my brother too...

[dbt]

11. Greetings, dissident0, and welcome to DU!

:hi:

[newyawker99]

12. Hi dissident0!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[MADem]

8. One incident, incompetence, two incidents, lotsa incompetence

...three incidents, what GIVES? Four, five six or more?

I can see where this is going...to biometrics. Eventually, we'll all be identified by our eyescans, fingerprints, and DNA, and the SSAN will simply be an adjunct identifier or a quaint backup methodology.

[deacon2]

9. Our SS numbers were never intended

to be used as they currently are. They were for purposes of identification solely for transactions pertaining to the Social Security Administration. This is another major league screw up. Those poor people - and god knows any of us could be one - are at risk for serious and wide-ranging identity theft. And this theft will be facilitated by the almost universal acceptance of the SS number as a high scoring identity authenticator. Which couldn't be further from the truth. With all of the identity data flying around the internet and out the door and into the hands of criminals, it is easier by the hour to "become" someone else. I agree- the biometrics ARE scary - Mark of the Beast and so forth. But so is waking up to learn "you" have owned a condo in Key Biscayne for 8 months and you're already 3 months in arrears (just an example off the top of my head). ANYTHING is possible once these folks obtain two vectors of your credit history or identity. It doesn't even have to be your SS number. But it sure helps. From there, they can even "build a new you" by servicing some key loans until "you" have even better credit that they can use for the bigger scores.

[Melynn]

10. Why didn't they notify the people that were compromised?

They don't have to, it's not the law......yet.

I wonder if the officers of the corporation sold their stock before this theft became public knowledge.