Ali Rockett reports that 71,000 registered voters were notified by letter dated September 12 that five laptops containing their personal information were stolen from the Robeson County Board of Elections sometime between July 18 and September 4.
The unencrypted laptops had been kept in a padlocked room, but were removed during a time that a staff member was removing supplies from the room with the help of unsupervised community volunteers.
Rockett also reports:
The computers, which were protected by multiple passwords, contained voters’ names, addresses, dates of birth, the last four digits of their Social Security numbers and possibly their driver’s license numbers.
A letter dated Sept. 12 advises voters “to be vigilant by reviewing account statements and monitoring free credit reports” to prevent identity theft. “It is unknown whether the thief has been able to open the laptop or obtain access to the information,” the letter reads.
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