Another Massive Personal Information Theft

[Update: COMPUTERWORLD now puts the figure at 676,000.]

According to an article in COMPUTERWORLD by Todd R. Weiss, another personal data theft has been disclosed, this one involving more than a half-million people.

It seems that your personally identifying data isn't safe anywhere anymore. Be afraid. Be very afraid. (And tell your Congresscritter.)

"Electronic account records for some 500,000 banking customers at four different banks were allegedly stolen and sold to collection agencies in a data theft case that has so far led to criminal charges against nine people, including seven former bank employees. Hackensack Police are continuing their investigation into the theft by a crime ring that apparently accessed the data illegally through the former bank employees. Hackensack police Det. Capt. Frank Lomia said the investigation into the crime ring is still under way.
'This thing's getting bigger and bigger,' Lomia said. 'It's still growing. The banks are uncovering more accounts than we knew about.' "

"Police allege that Lembo used his home as an office for DRL Associates and that he had hired several upper level bank employees to access data, including names, account numbers and balances, from the banks... The ring had operated for more than four years, with Lembo's profits reaching several million dollars, police said."

Recent posts:
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Goodbye to Privacy

And don't forget:
"You have zero privacy, anyway. Get over it."
--Scott McNealy