State says disks containing personal information are missing

[Miss-Delectable]

State says disks containing personal information are missing - Local/State - NewsObserver.com

Computer disks belonging to the state Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing may have been accidentally discarded, and state officials are warning clients that the missing disks may include some of their personal information.

The state Department of Health and Human Services is sending letters to people who applied for services from the Equipment Distribution Service from January 2005 through December 2008.

The disks were likely taken to a landfill during a recent office renovation, state officials say.

The information contained on the disks is accessible only by using special software, state officials say, but they are alerting clients as a precaution. The letter explains what happened, offers advice on avoiding identity theft and scams and urges clients to check their credit reports regularly.

“Our staff is revisiting our policies and procedures to ensure protection of all records,” said division director Jan Withers said in a statement. “Since 2008, all of our documents were encrypted to ensure their security, and all information will be stored in electronic secure files effective Sept. 30, 2011.”

 

[Miss-Delectable]

Official: Deaf school not affected by lost data

Official: Deaf school not affected by lost data | morganton.com

Personal information the state Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing lost did not contain data on students currently enrolled at the North Carolina School for the Deaf, according to state officials.

But the lost data could involve former students or those in the deaf community who purchased equipment from three to six years ago.

Diskettes containing data on more than 18,000 people who received state aid for hearing aids and other equipment from Jan. 2005 through Dec. 2008 were inadvertently discarded, the Department of Health and Human Services said in
a release Wednesday.

The computer disks disappeared during recent renovations at a state office in Raleigh and officials believe the diskettes were taken to a landfill.

Lori Walston, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health and Human Service, said the North Carolina School for the Deaf in Morganton is handled by a different division within DHHS and enrollment records would not be in the lost data.

The information was on those who received equipment with state aid during the four-year span, she said. Equipment request include hearing aids, amplified telephones and other devices used to assist the hearing impaired.
If students at the School for the Deaf received the state’s help in purchasing equipment from 2005 to 2008, it is possible that their parent’s information was included in the lost data, according to Walston.

Any student at the school who was not a minor when ordering their equipment may have been on that list, she said, adding that it would be unlikely for current students to be impacted.

DHHS does not believe the lost data will lead to identity theft.

The disks are believed to be in a landfill and the information can only be accessed by special software, the release said.

Officials are still sending letters to each person whose data was misplaced, notifying them of the discarded disks

The letter explains the incident, provides guidance on how people can protect themselves from identity theft or scams and advises clients to check their credit reports regularly.

DHHS also contacted the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and notified the Consumer Protection Section of the Attorney General’s Office.

“Our staff is revisiting our policies and procedures to ensure protection of all records,” said Jan Withers, division director. “Since 2008 all of our documents were encrypted to ensure their security, and all information will be stored in electronic secure files effective Sept. 30, 2011.”