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ID theft of HGEA and UPW records

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  • ID theft of HGEA and UPW records

    If you are receive a notice from the Hawai'i State Attorney General's Office and you purchased life and group health insurance policies as members of either the HGEA or UPW in 1999, you are among approximately 60,000 people whose personal information may have been stolen recently.

    "..DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
    News Release
    LINDA LINGLE
    GOVERNOR
    __________________________________________________ _______________
    Mark J. Bennett, Attorney General
    Phone: (808) 586-1500
    Fax: (808) 586-1239
    __________________________________________________ _______________
    For Immediate Release: April 13, 2006 News Release No. 2006-09
    HEIGHTENED RISK OF IDENTITY THEFT
    HONOLULU – The Attorney General of Hawai‘i is strongly encouraging over 40,000 individuals who are at risk for identity theft, including 22,000 private sector employees and 21,500 members of the Hawaii Government Employees Association ("HGEA") and the United Public Workers union ("UPW"), to take protective measures. At a minimum, individuals are advised to obtain free credit reports and to monitor their Social Security Statements and personal accounts for unusual activity.

    The measure follows the recent notification to the Attorney General by federal law enforcement officials (the United States Secret Service) of the theft of insurance company records that list the names and social security numbers of persons who enrolled in certain health and group life insurance plans in 1999. The records were produced by the Voluntary Employees Benefit Association of Hawaii in a civil lawsuit that the State brought against HGEA, UPW, and others, and they were copied at the request of the Attorney General for litigation purposes by a professional copying service
    in Honolulu.

    Federal officials informed the Department of the Attorney General in January 2006 that unauthorized copies of some of the records were made by a person or persons unknown, apparently while the records were at the professional copying service. They were later found by the Honolulu Police Department on a computer used by an individual being investigated for drug offenses. The incident has not been disclosed before now because that could have impaired the federal investigation. The federal authorities (the United States Secret Service and the United States Postal Inspection Service) made a request that the theft not be publicly disclosed until now. The investigation by federal authorities continues.

    “Identity theft is a serious crime and a growing national problem. Records containing social security numbers and other personal information can be used by thieves to obtain credit cards, to open fraudulent bank accounts, to mortgage real property, and to purchase automobiles. If debts incurred in those transactions are not paid, the credit of those whose identity has been stolen could be impaired. In some cases, it might take years for individuals to clear their records and restore their credit. We are taking this
    issue very seriously and strongly advise those affected, at a minimum, to obtain and review their credit reports, which are free under federal law,” said Mark Bennett, Attorney General. “We very much regret the very serious impact this theft will have on so many persons.”

    Private sector employees whose names have been found among the stolen records are being contacted directly in writing by the Attorney General. In addition, members of UPW and HGEA who were enrolled in the following union health and group life insurance plans in the months indicated may be at risk for identity theft and are being contacted directly in writing by the Attorney General: [Both groups are being given specific instructions as to what they can do if they believe they are the victims of identity theft.]

    For UPW members:
    TYPE OF COVERAGE INSURER MONTH ENROLLED
    Dental HDS September 1999
    Dental HDS October 1999
    Dental HDS November 1999
    Medical/Drug HMSA July 1999
    Medical/Drug HMSA September 1999
    Medical/Drug HMSA October 1999
    Medical/Drug HMSA November 1999
    Medical/Drug Kaiser B September 1999
    Note: The names and social security numbers of the spouse
    and dependent children of UPW members who were
    enrolled in the above plans were included in the records that
    were copied, and those individuals are also at risk of identity
    theft.
    For HGEA members:
    TYPE OF COVERAGE INSURER MONTH ENROLLED
    HMSA Premier (Medical/Drug) HMSA July 1999
    HMSA Premier (Dental) HDS July 1999
    HMSA Premier (Vision) VSP July 1999
    HMSA Royal (Medical/Drug) HMSA July 1999
    HMSA Royal (Dental) HDS July 1999
    HMSA Royal (Chiropractic) CPH July 1999
    HMSA Royal (Medical) RSN July 1999
    "Americans believe in three freedoms. Freedom of speech; freedom of religion; and the freedom to deny the other two to folks they don`t like.” --Mark Twain

  • #2
    Re: ID theft of HGEA and UPW records

    Looks like I'm safe... I joined HGEA in 2000!!! Looks like just in time!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: ID theft of HGEA and UPW records

      40,000 residents at risk = a whopping 5% of the entire population of O`ahu!
      .
      .

      That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: ID theft of HGEA and UPW records

        How this happened certainly doesn't elicit trust in copy shops.

        This reminds me a bit of how I feel when I do my annual, professional document shredding which includes a 10 year old box full of business and personal tax documentation and a year's worth of casting applications that talent fill out at casting sessions which include lots of personal information; info my clients need. The professional shredding service comes to the office and picks up the boxes. I'd like to believe the employees are screened but what's to prevent a less than honest employee from going thru the boxes once they're in the truck? I won't name the shredding service and have not had any problems that I'm aware of. I have a shredder in my office but the volume of documents over the course of a year make it necessary for that annual pick-up. Regardless, it's still more secure than tossing these documents in the dumpster.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: ID theft of HGEA and UPW records

          Even with a credible, respected, properly insured and employee-vetted shredding service, a lot of companies require full chain-of-custody control of material they shred. That's why Shred-It (as one example) has large shredders on many of their trucks, rather than transporting material to a central facility. Customers need to observe their material being pulverized first-hand.

          If that HGEA CD was copied and sold, chances are any other collections of digital records that went through that copy shop at about the same time were similarly stolen. People are always the weakest link in information security, not the technology. Someone earning $6 an hour at Kinko's or as a bank teller probably wouldn't take much convincing to hand over customer information for a lousy couple hundred bucks.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: ID theft of HGEA and UPW records

            Speaking of Shredit...and as an FYI...

            I received a notice from AARP that for their Stop Identity Theft campaign there will be a Shredit truck at the State Capitol tomorrow (Sat. 4/15), 10a to 1p, for free, personal document shredding on site; limited to 2 standard size banker's boxes. It's a drive-thru, drop off service and includes unloading assistance.

            I don't know that this is limited to AARP members as there is no reference to showing membership cards.

            Comment

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