Personal data of some N.C. residents stolen

RALEIGH -- A state-owned laptop computer with personal information about 85,045 North Carolina residents was stolen last month in Atlanta, state officials announced today.

The information included the full Social Security numbers of 52,391 clients of the state Division of Aging and Adult Services, said Lori Walston, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Services. It also included personal data about 32,645 additional clients, including the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

The information was protected by password, Walston said.

The laptop disappeared Saturday, Oct. 25, when a state employee returning from a training conference was unloading luggage from a rental car shuttle at the airport in Atlanta, Walston said. The employee notified Atlanta police, the car rental company and airport authorities, as well as the State Bureau of Investigation and the Consumer Protection Section of the N.C. Attorney General's Office, Walston said.

State officials sent a letter to people whose full Social Security numbers were stolen with advice on how to place a fraud alert on their credit reports. The other group of people will get a different letter advising them to be cautious about unusual phone calls or other inquires, Walston said.

In the letters, division Director Dennis Streets said his agency is "truly sorry about this theft of your personal information and the inconvenience this incident will cause." He said the division hoped to recover the computer and determine whether personal information was accessed. If the computer is recovered and officials can tell whether the data was compromised, he said, clients will be notified.