Almost 700 Prince William County residents are at risk of identity theft and invasion of privacy because a county employee left a BlackBerry containing personal information in a car.
The car was locked and parked in the employee’s driveway when the BlackBerry was stolen last month, according to county officials.
The smart phone’s hard drive contained the full client list and some case files of the 669 County residents enrolled in the Intellectual Disabilities Case Management (IDCM) Program.
The clients’ personal information contained on the BlackBerry includes:
- Name
- Date of Birth
- Address
- Phone number
- Social Security Number
- Medicaid Number
Police are investigating the theft. The BlackBerry service provider has been notified and has deactivated the phone and rendered other features inoperable.
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In the meantime, the Prince William Community Services Department (CS) provided the following advice for those who may be affected:
If you or someone in your care is a participant in the IDCM Program, the following steps are recommended to protect your identity:
- Notify all credit reporting agencies immediately (see list below).
- Notify your bank and credit lenders of a possible breach.
- Do not confirm or provide personal information over the phone or to unknown visitors to your home.
The following credit reporting agencies may be of assistance in making certain your credit is protected:
- Equifax: 888-766-0008
- Experian: 888-397-3742
- TransUnion: 800-680-7289
CS officials are also negotiating a contract with the three credit reporting agencies to pay for credit monitoring for the next 12 months for each client. When the contract is complete, the clients will be notified with details on how to use the service. In the interim, officials urged the affected residents to immediately place fraud alerts with the credit agencies. The service is free.
Case managers are contacting affected clients, CS officials said. In the meantime, if you or someone you know is registered in the IDCM Program and needs assistance, you can contact the CS Office at: 703-792-7740.
