SemperFi Data Recovery Puts 49 at Risk of ID Theft
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 18, 2007Media Contact: Aaron Titus
(202) 669-2969
FORT SMITH, Arkansas. While searching on Google for his own social security number, an anonymous internet user discovered a breach on www.semperfidatarecoveryandcomputerservices.com, and alerted the Liberty Coalition. The Excel file, belonging to Arkansas company SemperFi Data Recovery, exposed the names, social security numbers, addresses, cell and home phone numbers, W-4 information and other personal information of 40 employees living in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Liberty Coalition immediately contacted the proprietor of the website by phone and e-mail, as well as several of the victims, and reported the incident to the FBI. Even after the warning, the proprietor left the file online for several more weeks before taking the website down completely.
The business owner, who did not identify himself by name, explained that although he purposely placed the files online, he intended only a small number of people to see it, and didn't want anyone to fuss about it. Instead, major search engines picked up the file, and several employees were justifiably upset.
Individuals affected by this exposure should immediately visit www.nationalidwatch.org and search for their names, to confirm what types of personal information were exposed. NationalIDWatch.org has a list of recommended steps victims should take.
About NationalIDWatch.org
National ID Watch is a search engine for personal information breaches. Sponsored by the Washington, DC non-profit Liberty Coalition, NationalIDWatch.org provides more than a million free personalized Identity Exposure Reports™ as a public service.
Each Identity Exposure Report (IXR) documents what types of personal information were exposed (such as Social Security Numbers, Birth Dates, Addresses, etc.), without revealing them. Each IXR also details the situation surrounding each exposure, and contact information of those responsible for the breach. Armed with this information, victims can further investigate, take action, or correct harm.