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Laptop Containing 13,000 Social Security Numbers Stolen

Many people are worried about their private information being stolen online, but the fact is there are many other ways that their private information might be harmed. Last Monday a laptop owned by one ING U.S Financial Services employee was stolen from his Washington home. Company officials announced that the stolen laptop contains 13,000 social security numbers and other personal data.

It took the company several days to determine what sort of information was on the specific computer, ING spokesperson said. Not only that, but the stolen laptop was not password-protected and information can be easily extracted from it. Both district police and a hired private investigator are working on finding the missing laptop.

We are concerned that this information was being managed without protection," said Mary Ann Young, representative for the city`s chief financial officer. Such incidents show that information stored on computers can be at risk even when it is offline and is not connect to the World Wide Web. Hopefully, the person who stole the computer did not even realize the potential that the computer holds and will not use it irresponsibly.