DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

So you found some records in the street? Now what do you do?

Posted on March 13, 2016 by Dissent

Sometimes people who find documents with personal information don’t know to whom to return them. Other times, they may know, but refuse to return them or stall in returning them. And yet others may decide to go to the media. Why people make the choices they make is beyond the scope of this blog, but sometimes, I find myself questioning whether they are helping or making things worse.

WSBTV reports a case in Atlanta where someone found records in a street that were the property of Atlanta Toyota in Duluth, Georgia. For reasons that are not reported, that person seems to have turned them over to one of the people whose files he had found.

She, in turn, ….. seemingly went to the media and police instead of responding to the car dealership’s requests to return their files. It’s not clear if she went to the police before or after she went to the media. She told WSBTV that she delayed returning the documents to the dealership because she did not know what to do.

Tyler Heard, the area Vice President for Penske Automotive Group, which owns Atlanta Toyota released this statement:

“These files were moved from our property by one of our employees in violation of company policy. Unfortunately, they were then stolen from the vehicle of the employee. Subsequently a good Samaritan found them on the side of the road. We asked her (Ms. Carston) to repeatedly return the files but she has been uncooperative and refused to return the files. We do believe the files contain personal information of costumers, and we have an obligation to seek return of files so we can notify customers. We’ve offered to meet her repeatedly to have files returned to us but because of her lack of cooperation, we have no choice but to file a court action to recover our property and enlist the assistance of local law enforcement to receive the property so we can notify customers. We have no other disputes with her.”

How long was her confusion going on for? And why was she confused? Or was it the case that she was afraid that the dealership might try to cover up the breach?

Whatever her reasons, she put herself in some legal jeopardy. If you find yourself in a similar situation, here are some options:

  1. Return the materials you found to their source and get a receipt from the entity for them.
  2. Contact your state attorney general’s office consumer protection division and ask them if they want to take custody of the documents. See what they tell you to do.
  3. Contact your local media, tell them, and see if they’ll accept the papers and contact the responsible party.

Sometimes people who find files want to make sure that an incident is not swept under a rug. They want to make sure that people are notified. That’s all well and good, but then follow options 2 or 3 above. There’s no need to put yourself in a situation where you have to defend yourself in court for refusing to return stolen documents you found.


Related:

  • North Country Healthcare responds to Stormous's claims of a breach
  • Gladney Adoption Center had serious data exposures in the past few months. What will they do to prevent more?
  • Former U.S. Soldier Pleads Guilty to Hacking and Extortion Scheme Involving Telecommunications Companies
  • DOGE Denizen Marko Elez Leaked API Key for xAI
  • Four people bailed after arrests over cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods
Category: Breach IncidentsExposurePaperTheft

Post navigation

← Private tracker member data leaked via BBCode exploit
Ottawa Hospital hit with ransomware, information on four computers locked down →

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • North Country Healthcare responds to Stormous’s claims of a breach
  • Gladney Adoption Center had serious data exposures in the past few months. What will they do to prevent more?
  • Former U.S. Soldier Pleads Guilty to Hacking and Extortion Scheme Involving Telecommunications Companies
  • DOGE Denizen Marko Elez Leaked API Key for xAI
  • Four people bailed after arrests over cyber attacks on M&S, Co-op and Harrods
  • RansomedVC is back — and is still attacking its competitors
  • Texas Enacts Electronic Health Record Data Localization Law
  • United Australia Party confirms ransomware attack, personal data and email correspondence exposed
  • Armenian National Extradited to the United States Faces Federal Charges for Ransomware Extortion Conspiracy
  • 70% of healthcare cyberattacks result in delayed patient care, report finds

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • Texas Enacts Electronic Health Record Data Localization Law
  • Upstate NY county clerk again refuses to enforce Texas abortion judgment
  • Attorney General James Leads Coalition Urging Congress to Protect Americans from Masked ICE Agents
  • Attorney General Tong Announces $85,000 Settlement with TicketNetwork for Violations of the Connecticut Data Privacy Act​
  • Fourth Circuit upholds West Virginia ban on abortion pills
  • Meta fixes bug that could leak users’ AI prompts and generated content
  • The EU’s Plan To Ban Private Messaging Could Have a Global Impact (Plus: What To Do About It)

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.