Colwood employment centre loses data on 212 clients

[Christine Fulgham <christine () opensecurityfoundation org>]

http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Colwood+employment+centre+loses+data+clients/3797438/story.html?cid=megadrop_story

RCMP are investigating a possible privacy breach at a Colwood employment
centre, after the personal information of more than 200 clients went
missing.

Work Link, a non-profit organization that helps people find jobs, misplaced
the personal files of 212 people, said West Shore RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scott
Hilderley.

The files contain "pretty sensitive information," including social insurance
numbers, birthdays, home addresses, phone numbers and, possibly, driver's
licence numbers. That information in the wrong hands can be used to carry
out identity theft, he said.

Langford resident Brian Ziros said he was notified Friday that the
registration form he filled out when signing up with the service was
misplaced.

"I'm kind of in limbo land here, because they're telling me my information
may be at risk, yet I've got no clear guidance as to who to contact," he
said.

"Somebody could get a driver licence or birth certificate with my
information."

Police are investigating what might have happened to the files.

Work Link contacted the RCMP, the province's chief information officer and
the Ministry of Housing and Social Development from which it receives
funding, assistant director Janice Booth said.

Booth said there is no clear indication that clients' personal information
has been compromised.

"What's under investigation is whether something was misplaced or whether
there was a theft," she said, stressing that Work Link takes their clients'
confidential information very seriously.

Affected clients were notified Friday and told about a credit monitoring
service, she said.

Hilderley said the files have been missing for five weeks, but the incident
was reported only Friday.

Booth could not explain the reason for the delay in reporting the breach.

Hilderley said people affected should pay attention to their bank accounts.

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