Consuming Interests: Who's careless with your information? - News and tips for consumers on shopping, saving money, deals and credit

Data breaches are increasingly making headlines these days, thanks to "breach notification" laws that many states now have on the books.

Here in Maryland, the law requires businesses alert consumers when their personal information --- names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or other identifiers --- has been compromised by a lost backup tape, theft of a laptop or hard drive or the inadvertent posting of a file on a Web site.

Sometimes the breaches arise due to human error or deliberate action, such as the hacking of an online store or the incident at LendingTree.com I wrote about in today's paper. More than 56,000 Maryland consumers got letters from the company stating that former employees shared passwords for LendingTree's consumer database --- loaded with their names, social security with three mortgage brokerages.

Consumer advocates such as Jeannine Kenney of the Consumers Union have said that such laws even the playing field for businesses because everyone has to 'fess up when there's been a problem. And because the incidents generate negative publicity, it creates incentive for companies to do a better job safeguarding your info.

"The reputational black eye could cost some future business, as well as the financial burden of notification,” she said.

The identity theft program of the Maryland Attorney General's office now lists on its Web site the businesses that have reported security breaches. Take a look at the 67 incidents since the law took effect in January and click the link above to read copies of the letters the companies sent about the incidents:

Case Number	Date Received	Business Name (click to see notice)	No. of MD residents	Total breach size	Information breached	How breach occurred
150963	04/23/08	Verizon Wireless	450		name, SSN, address, verizon wireless acct #	info stolen by former employee
150960	04/21/08	SwimwearBoutique.com	186		name, address, credit card #	hacking of e-commerce website
150843	04/21/08	LendingTree.com	56873	5600	name, address, e-mail address, phone #, SSN, incom	former employees allowed access to unauthorized mo
150841	04/21/08	Sterling Commerce	13		name, address, date of birth, SSN, premiums and co	unencrypted laptop stolen from 3rd party venndor e
150839	04/21/08	Columbia Capital, LLC	13		name, address, SSN, banking information, Columbia	password protected laptop stolen from office

150956	04/21/08	Central Collection Bureau	96	700000	name, address, SSN, date of birth, dates of servic	server stolen from locked office
150712	04/17/08	SPX Corporation	1	329	name, SSN, bank account #, routing #, account type	laptop computer stolen from subcontractor's home
150623	04/14/08	Gerdau Ameristeel	13		name, SSN, address	hacking, unauthorized access to electronic files b
150513	04/14/08	Stryker Corporation	23		SSN	Hacked internal virtual private network
150451	04/10/08	Interbank FX, LLC	177		SSN, Driver's License #, Passport info, name, Inte	File accidentally uploaded to unprotected server
150333	04/09/08	Agilent Technologies, Inc.	261	27000	name, address, SSN, equity compensation info	laptop stolen from employee's car
150512	04/08/08	Walnut Street Securities, Inc.	17		Name, address, SSN, phone #	subcontractor accidentally sent client account rep
150253	04/04/08	Unicare	17		member ID numbers (included SSN), pharmacy/medical	accidental exposure to internet by 3rd party contr
150114	04/04/08	Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc.	199	3542	name, date of birth, SSN	laptop stolen from employee's home
150111	04/01/08	GMAC Insurance	6	2802	Name, SSN< employee ID number	stolen laptop from contactor's home, files not enc
150110	04/01/08	Synovus Financial Corp.	3		Name, SSN, account info	loss of backup tape
149990	03/31/08	Okemo LLC		18401	name, credit card # and expiration date	hacking: intrusion into computer network
150109	03/31/08	Marriott International, Inc.	20		Name, SSN	Lost data tapes
149986	03/31/08	Antioch University	596		Name, SSN, academic records, payroll records	hacking: inauthorized access to computer between 6
149989	03/28/08	Museum of Science	1		Name, address, credit card #'s, expiration dates	Open File inadverantly accessible through the Inte
149988	03/27/08	THQ, Inc.	72		Name, SSN, address, employee stock purchase progra	strolen laptop, password protected, not encrypted
149861	03/26/08	IInfinity Pharmaceuticals, Inc.	2	725	name, address, SSN, equity compensation info	laptop computer stolen from employee's car
149630	03/25/08	Genica Corporation			name, address, phone #, e-mail address, credit car	hacked e-commerce site
149859	03/24/08	BNY Mellon Shareowner Services	4690		name, address, SSN, account information, transacti	lost box of backup data tapes
149858	03/24/08	Genworth Life and Annuity Insurance Company	15		name, address, date of birth, SSN	computers stolen from office
149848	03/21/08	Pfizer Inc	13	800	name, credit card #, expiration date, address, pho	laptop computer stolen from home of contractor
149573	03/13/08	Education Management, LLC	7	764	name, SSN, Address, date of birth	laptop stolen from office, recovered
149854	03/13/08	Genworth Financial Trust Company, Inc.	69		name, address, SSN, account #	accidentally visible through window in envelope
149180	03/13/08	Central Licensing Bureau	2		name, SSN, address, Nebraska insurance license #	report accidentally sent to wrong clients
149590	03/13/08	Lasell College	267	20000	name, SSN	unauthorized employee accessed database
149587	03/13/08	Education Management, LLC	3	12	name, address, SSN	accidentally sent spreadsheet to list of 12 stuede
149851	03/12/08
149853	03/12/08	MTV Networks	2	5000	name date of birth, SSN, compensation data	hacking of employee's computer
148976	03/11/08	3M	13	1500	name, SSN	laptop computer stolen from employee's car
150129	03/10/08	The Dental Network	69976	74000	Name, SSN, DOB, address	Posted on company website in error
148851	03/07/08	Wolters Kluwer	72		name, address, phone #, e-mail address, credit car	Hacking: unauthorized intrusion into e-commerce we
148849	03/06/08	Starling Insurance and Associates			name, address, SSN, DL#	server stolen from office
148848	03/05/08	Bob Davidson Ford Lincoln Mercury, Inc.			name, address, SSN, wages	storage tape lost enroute to payroll company
148986	03/04/08	DaVita Inc.
148979	02/28/08	Nestle Waters North America	197	8245	name,. date of birth, SSN,	computer stolen from office
148988	02/26/08	Kraft Foods, Inc.	39		name, SSN	stolen laptop
148994	02/15/08	Syda Foundation	19		Name, credit card number, expiration date, securit	hacking
148025	02/15/08	J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines	1		name, SSN	computers stolen from office
147704	02/12/08	Cross Country Staffing	76		name, SSN	laptop computer stolen from employee's car
147545	02/12/08	Drexel University College of Medicine	1		name, SSN	laptop computer stolen
147642	02/08/08	Salesforce.com	9		name, SSN, date of birth	theft of unencrypted external storage device
147163	02/06/08	NSK Americas, Inc.		2000	name, SSN, salaries	employee database accidentally left unsecured on i
147544	02/05/08	Administrative Systems, Inc.	14126		name, date of birth, SSN, bank account info for 34	desktop computer stolen from office
147100	02/05/08	DCI Donor Services	18		name, SSN	laptop stolen from Intern's home
147639	02/05/08	Davidson Companies		230000		hacking: gained access to a company database by sp
147387	02/04/08	MLSGear.com	1613		name, address, credit and/or debit card # and expi	Hacking: used an SQL injection program to gain acc
147132	02/01/08	Kiwanis International	257		name, credit card # and expiration date, billing/s	hacking: used an SQL injection virus to gain acces
146598	01/28/08	Invitrogen Corporation	1004		name, address, SSN	laptop stolen from employee's home
146573	01/28/08	GE Aviation Systems	5		name, SSN	stolen laptop from employee's car
146571	01/28/08	Philips Lighting Company	2		name, address, SSN, date of birth	malware virus, unauthorized access to files on lap
146566	01/28/08	Target Financial Services	19		name, address, credit card #, SSN, phone #	unauthorized access by employees of Target Nationa
146394	01/24/08	Mariner Healthcare	2199		name, address, SSN, date of birth, salary info, 40	laptop computers stolen from office
146391	01/24/08	Sava Senior Care	2199		name, address, SSN, date of birth, salary, 401(k)	password protected but unencrypted laptops stolen
146177	01/22/08	American Academy of Pediatrics	4		name, SSN, address	laptop computer lost during office move
146156	01/22/08	Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC)	3		credit card # and security code, name, billing and	malicious software, hacking
145976	01/16/08	BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc.	13		name, SSN	unencrypted flash drive lost
145974	01/15/08	T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc.	1470		name, SSN	unencrypted computers stolen from office
146162	01/10/08	Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation	190		name, address, date of birth, telephone #, SSN, ge	file stolen from employee's car

Eileen Ambrose	Liz Kay
Andrea K. Walker	Michelle Deal-Zimmerman

April 30, 2008

Who's careless with your information?

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