A now-defunct law firm gets itself bad press for insecurely disposing of client files:
We’re not in the habit of picking through the trash, but sometimes we’re willing to get our hands dirty, especially when we hear your information has been tossed aside like it’s worthless. We went digging in a Baltimore County dumpster after getting a tip personal information had been dropped inside.
And that’s exactly what we found.
Sensitive personal information from Cheryl Mainer’s family was inside the dumpster, which is located outside the now defunct offices of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Law Group located along Jarrettsville Pike.
“You’ve got me shaking right now because I can’t believe this. This is all his personal information, all our personal information,” Mainer told us.
We found information like Social Security numbers, bank information, mortgage payments and even complete medical records. It was inside a Phoenix dumpster, giving anyone access to see or grab it.
Read more on ABC.
We’ve seen this type of thing all too often. Businesses fold and files with PII get left behind. I’d really love to see state attorneys general go after such firms more often to get the word out that you can’t just dump records even if you went out of business. Or maybe the state law board should initiate disciplinary proceedings as lawyers are ethically obligated to protect client files.
Something….. someone should do something…. Maryland has taken action at times. Will they do so again now?