Founder of Bankruptcy Law Firm Suspects Cleaning Workers in Dumpster Error
The founder of a Chicago-area bankruptcy law firm says cleaning workers may be to blame for putting sensitive client documents in a Dumpster shared by other businesses.
The documents included client information sheets with Social Security numbers, names and addresses, driver’s license numbers and signed debit card authorizations, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The information was provided by clients of Robert J. Semrad & Associates, also known as DebtStoppers USA.
Semrad told the Sun-Times that the documents had been transferred from the firm’s Joliet office to a Chicago office serviced by a shredding company, and were in bags with a “do not remove” sign attached. He suspects cleaning employees took the bags outside, despite the warning on the sign. The bags were supposed to have been picked up by the shredding company.
“I am very, very sorry,” Semrad said. “We did have something in place that was supposed to prevent this, but unfortunately it didn’t. As a result, we have instituted new measures to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
