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FTC Laptops Stolen; Consumer Data Exposed
Laptops Stolen From Government Attorney's Car

POSTED: 7:24 am PDT June 23, 2006
UPDATED: 7:40 am PDT June 23, 2006

WASHINGTON -- You've heard about recent thefts of government computers containing sensitive personal information?

Now the agency charged with fighting identity theft said it has lost two laptops containing personal data.

The laptops were taken from the locked car of an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission.

As if that weren't ironic enough, many of the people whose data was taken are being investigated for possible fraud and identity theft.

The FTC said it will provide free credit monitoring for the 110 people whose names, addresses, Social Security numbers -- and in some instances, financial account numbers -- were taken.

The car theft occurred about 10 days ago and managers were immediately notified.

The disclosure comes amid a widening data breach that is expected to cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars. In all, five government agencies have reported data theft, including the Veterans Affairs Department.