DataBreaches.Net

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

Laptop theft puts personal information of hundreds of Pennsylvania taxpayers at risk

Posted on July 12, 2016 by Dissent

WTAE reports that the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue is notifying 865 taxpayers whose information was on a stolen laptop.

Why they would claim this notification is in an “abundance of caution” defies belief. An “abundance of caution” would have involved deploying adequate security and not leaving the damned laptops in an unattended vehicle.

Read more on WTAE.

Here is the state’s statement on the incident:

07/12/2016

Department of Revenue Notifies 865 Taxpayers Their Data Was Potentially Compromised by a Laptop Theft

Harrisburg, PA – In an abundance of caution, the Department of Revenue is mailing letters to 865 taxpayers whose personal information was on a stolen laptop. The letters provide information about free credit monitoring services and fraud protections the department will offer.

In late June, four department auditors were in San Francisco, California to conduct a routine audit. At approximately 6:00 PM thieves smashed the windows of several parked vehicles, including the auditors’ locked rental vehicle, stealing four laptop computers. The employees immediately began working with law enforcement and notified the department. The stolen laptops have not been recovered.

The department conducted an extensive investigation which determined some procedures to secure data may not have been followed with one laptop. The department’s computer network has not been accessed or hacked and remains secure.

“Safeguarding the information of taxpayers is a top priority for the department,” said Revenue Secretary Eileen McNulty. “We are taking proactive steps to help those who could be potentially impacted and to ensure this does not happen again.”

Through the investigation, the department determined the stolen laptop contained personally identifiable information for 865 taxpayers. As a precaution, the department will provide those potentially affected with one year of free credit monitoring with Experian, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, This service will provide affected individuals with automatic notifications of key changes in their credit reports and identify theft insurance.

The department will not call individuals about this breach. Those impacted will receive a notice in the mail advising them of the protections being offered as well as the next steps.

Related posts:

  • IRS “Get Transcript” breach much bigger than first thought – now more than 700K victims
  • GA: Former IRS Revenue Agent Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Identity Theft of Taxpayer Information
Category: Government SectorTheftU.S.

Post navigation

← CA: Peninsula Dry-Cleaner Facing 8 Years In Prison for ID Theft, Fraud: Prosecutors
UG Nazi member “JoshTheGod” sentenced for serial 911 SWAT calls to celebrities’ homes, ID theft →

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

  • Horizon Healthcare RCM discloses ransomware attack in December
  • Disgruntled IT Worker Jailed for Cyber Attack, Huddersfield
  • Hacker helped kill FBI sources, witnesses in El Chapo case, according to watchdog report
  • Texas Centers for Infectious Disease Associates Notifies Individuals of Data Breach in 2024
  • Battlefords Union Hospitals notifies patients of employee snooping in their records
  • Alert: Scattered Spider has added North American airline and transportation organizations to their target list
  • Northern Light Health patients affected by security incident at Compumedics; 10 healthcare entities affected
  • Privacy commissioner reviewing reported Ontario Health atHome data breach
  • CMS warns Medicare providers of fraud scheme
  • Ex-student charged with wave of cyber attacks on Sydney uni

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

  • Supreme Court Decision on Age Verification Tramples Free Speech and Undermines Privacy
  • New Jersey Issues Draft Privacy Regulations: The New
  • Hacker helped kill FBI sources, witnesses in El Chapo case, according to watchdog report
  • Germany Wants Apple, Google to Remove DeepSeek From Their App Stores
  • Supreme Court upholds Texas law requiring age verification on porn sites
  • Justices nix Medicaid ‘right’ to choose doctor, defunding Planned Parenthood in South Carolina
  • European Commission publishes its plan to enable more effective law enforcement access to data

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.