Data Breach

We all hear about identity theft. Yet many people think it will never happen to them. Here is an article I came across.

A Bank of New York Mellon data breach first reported in May as affecting 500,000 account holders in Connecticut and 4.5 million across the country may have affected nearly three times that many.

The bank told Reuters news service Thursday that the breach has exposed up to 12.5 million people to identity theft. It was unclear how many of the newly identified accounts were with Bridgeport-based People's United Bank, the holders of hundreds of thousands of affected accounts. People's United has 10 locations in southeastern Connecticut and more than 150 statewide.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell, in a statement, said the updated figures came in response to subpoenas she ordered the state Department of Consumer Protection to issue in May. The data loss involved Social Security numbers, names, addresses and other sensitive information.

”It is simply outrageous that this mountain of information was not better protected, and it is equally outrageous that we are hearing about (millions of additional accounts subject to possible identity theft) six months after the fact,” Rell said in her statement. “We fear a substantial number of Connecticut residents are among the latest group.”

--Lee Howard, TheDay.com

I blog about this because I have done something about it & you can too. Click here to find out how.