Data Breach Alert: Arizona’s Department of Economic Security loses personal data for 40,000 children

Posted by Caitlin on November 12th, 2008

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On October 14, a wide array of furniture and electronics were stolen from a commercial storage facility used by Arizona’s Department of Economic Security, including disks containing the names, addresses, phone numbers and, in some cases, Social Security numbers for about 40,000 children. The DES provides various services such as food stamp programs and other financial assistance and programs designed to help prevent child abuse and neglect. The data breach impacts children who have been referred to the DES for early intervention services over the past several years. The data on the stolen disks was password protected but not encrypted.

Children can be particularly susceptible to identity theft. See our Child Identity Theft Protection Guide for 8 tips on how to protect your children from becoming victims. And if you are interested in an identity theft protection service, see our reviews and comparison.

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