U.S. Foodservice laptop stolen; contained employee and applicant info
July 15, 2008
U.S. Foodservice, Inc. (”USF”) reported the theft of a laptop containing names, Social Security numbers, home addresses, and/or dates of birth of some present and former USF employees, and in a few instances, their dependents and applicants for jobs at USF.
Although USF reportedly stopped using Social Security numbers as part of its internal reports several years ago, the stolen laptop contained old data files. In a letter to those affected dated June 13, Dave Esler, Chief Human Resources Officer, wrote, “Pursuant to USF policies, the laptop was protected by a unique user I.D and password, but the individual files containing personal information were not encrypted or password protected.” The company is reviewing its policies and procedures to see if changes need to be made.
USF has set up a toll-free helpline staffed 7 days a week and offered those affected free credit monitoring for 1 year via Triple Advantage, which also provides identity theft insurance (unless you happen to be a resident of New York State).
USF’s notification and disclosure letters did not indicate where or how the laptop was stolen, nor the total number of individuals affected. The company’s web site indicates that is has 27,000 employees nationwide, but it is not clear whether all current employees had data on the stolen laptop, nor how many former employees, applicants or dependents had data on the laptop.
Source: PogoWasRight.org
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