Speaking of Identity Theif. . . Yet again a . . .

[Artegal 1]

The Georgia Department of Human Resources recently informed me that my family's data confidentiality was compromised.

Some of the personal information of birth parents whose children were born in Georgia between April 1, 2006 and March 16, 2007 was discarded but not shredded, warns the Georgia Department of Public Health. Those parents will receive a letter from the Public Health director explaining the security lapse and recommending they contact the three credit bureaus - Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union.

The breech occurred when a portion of the birth records documented between the dates mentioned above were not shredded, but discarded in a manner that exposed social security numbers, race and education of the parents. That portion of the document also included information about the pregnancy care, risks and history of the mother, as well as information about the delivery. It does not include the parent’s name, the child’s name, or the date of birth.

Several corrective actions have taken place. New Confidentiality Policy and Procedures went into effect on May 15, 2007 to ensure that confidentiality is adhered to at all times. All Vital Records staff has been retrained on how to properly dispose of confidential information. Updated shredding equipment is now in place.

While we have no evidence this information is being used fraudulently, we do recommend following-up with the credit bureaus and reviewing all credit and other financial account information. By law, all adults are eligible to receive two free credit reports each year. You may also contact each credit bureau to request a fraud alert be placed on your records: Experian, P. O. Box 9595, Allen, TX 75013-9595 Tel: 888-397-3742; Equifax, P. O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 Tel: 800-685-1111; and Trans Union, P. O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022 Tel: 800-888-4213.

[JoeMama 0]

It totally reminds me of what a judge told me when I was in court. I was arrested on an outstanding warrant that was not recalled when the fine was paid. It was nothing serious. I paid my fine for a "minor in possession of alcohol" ticket when I was 20. But the issuing agency (college campus cops), weren't notified and I got picked up for an outstanding warrant. I went before the judge and he told me, "When you make a mistake, you pay for it. When we make a mistake, you pay for it". You gotta love the efficiency of bureaucracy!