Stolen Disk Contained Calif. Appellate Lawyers’ Social Security Numbers
Lawyers who work on indigent appeals for the Central California Appellate Program have been warned that their Social Security numbers and personal information have been stolen.
The information was on a backup computer disk in a safe taken by thieves who broke into a storage facility last month, the Recorder reports. The disk was password protected.
Besides Social Security numbers, the disk contained tax identification numbers, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.
The theft occurred on Nov. 15 or Nov. 16, but a letter informing lawyers about it was dated Nov. 21 and sent by regular mail. Some lawyers were irked by the delay, according to the story. “That should have gone out in an e-mail right away,” said San Francisco solo Grace Suarez.
Still, she and other lawyers contacted didn’t blame the appellate program for the problem. Officials there “were doing the best they could,” Suarez told the publication.
