Commenter ExVee has started working over at Walmart (and started blogging about it) and alerts us to an ID theft risk for all their recent new hires. From a letter Walmart sent to each new employee:

“We learned last week that ACS experienced a security breach involving a computer stolen from its Denver office. We believe it is very important to report this information to you. According to ACS, this computer may have contained the names, addresses, and Social Security Numbers of employees of many companies – including some Wal-Mart associates hired in the last eight months, whether or not they live in Colorado.”

It turns out this isn’t really a Walmart issue, the computer in question “contained state-owned databases with the personal information of about 1.4 million people,” according to the Denver Post.

In addition to new hires from Walmart, the computer also held the “New Hire Directory, which ACS has maintained for the Department of Human Services since 1999. The registry holds the personal information – name, date of birth, address and Social Security number – of about 500,000 child-support payers and recipients. The directory also has the personal information of every new hire in Colorado and some other states – nearly 1 million names – which employers must file with the state each month.”

So, basically, if you’ve been hired by a company in the last 8 months, your records might have been stolen. Keep close watch on your personal finances and report anything suspicious.

Worker quizzed on stolen database [denverpost.com]
HOWTO: Avoid ID Theft [Consumerist.com]
Guide to ID Theft Prevention [Consumerist.com]

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