DataBreaches.Net

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

PLS Financial/Payday Loan Store settles government charges of improper disposal of customer records

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Dissent

Via Courthouse News:

PLS Financial Services/The Payday Loan Store/PLS Check Cashers, which have more than 300 outlets in 9 states, expose customers to ID theft by dumping personal financial information into Dumpsters, the USA says in Federal Court.

The lawsuit was brought at the request of the FTC, and I’ve uploaded the complaint and stipulated judgment and order here.

The FTC sought prosecution of PLS under the FTC Act and FCRA. The charges arose following incidents where customer data were found unshredded in dumpsters in Illinois. In their complaint, the government alleges that PLS failed to provide consumers with required privacy notices, failed to develop and implement information security programs, and provided assurances that personal data were protected when they were not adequately protected. The improper disposal violated the Disposal of Consumer Report Information and Records rule.

As a result of the failures described above, intact documents containing consumers’ personal information were found on multiple occasions in dumpsters near PLS Loan Stores and/or PLS Check Cashers, which were unsecured and easily accessible to the public. For example, in April 2010, boxes of documents were recovered from a dumpster near the Bolingbrook, Illinois, PLS Loan Store at 346/348 Bolingbrook Commons. In the same month, additional documents were retrieved from dumpsters located near the PLS Loan Stores and/or PLS Check Cashers locations at 4838 South Cicero, Chicago, Illinois; 628 West 14th Street, Chicago Heights, Illinois; and 1515 Western Avenue, Chicago Heights, Illinois. These documents contained nonpublic personal information, including customers’ names, addresses, Social Security numbers, wage information, bank account information, cancelled checks, loan applications, loan agreements, receipts for loan payments, at least 29 consumer reports, and other sensitive consumer information that had been collected by PLS and PLS-Illinois.

Under the terms of the settlement, PLS and PLS-Illinois will pay $ 101,500.00 as a civil penalty. They also agreed to undergo biennial audits for 20 years and to develop an information security program.

The state of Illinois had sued Payday Loan Store in October 2010 over these incidents, and I am trying to find out what happened with that lawsuit, too.

This is not the first time the FTC has sued an entity over improper disposal of paper records.  They previously settled cases involving disposal of paper records with  CVS, RiteAid,  and Gregory Navone and his two former mortgage brokerage companies (First Interstate Mortgage Corporation and Nevada One Corporation).

Image credit: Flickr:Swanksalot

No related posts.

Category: Breach IncidentsExposureOf NotePaper

Post navigation

← UK: Housing association email attachment gaffe discloses employees’ sensitive personal information
TN: Blount Memorial Hospital notifies 27,000 of stolen laptop (updated) →

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

  • Air Force Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Disclose Unlawfully Classified National Defense Information
  • UK police arrest four in connection with M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyberattacks (1)
  • At U.S. request, France jails Russian basketball player Daniil Kasatkin on suspicion of ransomware conspiracy
  • Avantic Medical Lab hacked; patient data leaked by Everest Group
  • Integrated Oncology Network victim of phishing attack; multiple locations affected (2)
  • HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Settles HIPAA Privacy and Security Rule Investigation with Deer Oaks Behavioral Health for $225k and a Corrective Action Plan
  • HB1127 Explained: North Dakota’s New InfoSec Requirements for Financial Corporations
  • Credit reports among personal data of 190,000 breached, put for sale on Dark Web; IT vendor fined
  • Five youths arrested on suspicion of phishing
  • Russia Jailed Hacker Who Worked for Ukrainian Intelligence to Launch Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure

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

  • How to Build on Washington’s “My Health, My Data” Act
  • Department of Justice Subpoenas Doctors and Clinics Involved in Performing Transgender Medical Procedures on Children
  • Google Settles Privacy Class Action Over Period Tracking App
  • ICE Is Searching a Massive Insurance and Medical Bill Database to Find Deportation Targets
  • Franklin, Tennessee Resident Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison on Multiple Cyber Stalking Charges
  • On July 7, Gemini AI will access your WhatsApp and more. Learn how to disable it on Android.
  • German court awards Facebook user €5,000 for data protection violations

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.