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  • Corporations Still Unfamiliar with Laws Governing Information Privacy

    Posted on March 17th, 2009 admin No comments

    A recent survey reveals that while corporations are spending more money in an effort to safeguard personal information, many corporate leaders say they are unfamiliar with key federal and state laws governing information privacy.

    The survey, conducted on behalf of Boston-based Iron Mountain, targeted companies with annual revenue of at least $750 million. The survey polled 115 business professionals involved in or responsible for information privacy at publicly held companies.

    According to the survey’s findings, companies believe they’re more familiar with federal requirements for information destruction than they actually are. While nearly three in four respondents (74 percent) express familiarity with federal requirements, fewer than one in three (30 percent) are aware of the Federal Trade Commission’s Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) Disposal Rule. The FACTA Disposal Rule mandates that organizations properly dispose of documents containing consumer information through methods such as burning, pulverizing or shredding so that the “information cannot practically be read or reconstructed.”

    The survey also reveals that nine in 10 companies outsource their shredding, while more than half (57 percent) also rely on on-site commercial-grade shredding or incineration equipment. But fewer than one in four report compliant destruction of consumer information (24 percent) or audit-compliant policies and procedures (23 percent) based on best industry practices.

    Two in three companies (66 percent) say it has become more important to formalize policies and procedures for destroying sensitive information. Those companies cited new laws (63 percent), negative press of data losses (43 percent), customer demand for information security (29 percent) and pressure from industry groups (28 percent) as the top reasons why.

    (Source: sdbmagazine.com)

  • USPS Brings Paper Recycling to Post Office Lobbies

    Posted on March 16th, 2009 admin No comments

    The United States’ Postal Service is expanding its Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program to 1,844 new sites, bringing the total of participating post offices to more than 5,900. The program builds on the success of similar programs that have been ongoing in the northeast part of the United States for more than 10 years.

    Secure recycling bins are placed in Post Office lobbies. All bins are locked with a key and the opening is slim – about the width of a news magazine. PO Box customers are encouraged to remove and open their mail, take whatever action is necessary, and place the rest of their mail into the bin.

    This program has been thoroughly tested and presents no risk to mail security or customer privacy and does not effect postal operations or costs, according to Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability.

    “The message today is simple. Mail is recyclable,” Pulcrano said. “We are committed to helping consumers ‘go green’ through a comprehensive approach to mail production, delivery and recycling that helps create a sustainable future for generations to come.”

    (Source: sdbmagazine.com)

  • Private Medical Records Found in Garbage – Florida

    Posted on March 12th, 2009 admin No comments

    On January 01, 2009 First Coast News, an ABC/NBC affiliate station in Jacksonville, Florida, reported someone sent the station private medical records found in the trash. The un-shredded documents were from the office of psychiatrist Dr. Angali Pathak and included names, social security numbers, addresses, prescription information and birth dates.

    The doctor’s office stated that they have no idea how the records ended up in the trash but sometimes the shredder does not work. Excuses do not protect doctor’s offices from HIPAA laws or the fines and jail time that are associated with a violation. The gamble of having a shredder in the office is not worth the risk of 10 years in jail and a $250,000 fine. One sure way for doctors to ensure that they are not violating HIPAA is to establish an office compliance protocol that includes contracting a secure destruction company.

    Read full article here

  • Company Faces Privacy Probe into Health Records Found on Ottawa Street

    Posted on March 11th, 2009 admin No comments

    Ontario’s privacy commissioner is launching an investigation into how patients’ sensitive medical records ended up being blown around a downtown Ottawa street Wednesday.

    Ann Cavoukian said she alerted CML Healthcare immediately after hearing that an Ottawa man had found the papers on O’Connor Street, outside a medical centre housing a CML medical imaging clinic.

    She directed the company to send staff to scour the streets for any remaining records, which they did.

    Cavoukian said her office will launch an investigation on Monday.

    Under Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, Cavoukian said, anyone with health records in their possession must:

    • Keep it in a secure manner.
    • Ensure privacy for the people to whom the records pertain.
    • Ensure the information is not accessible for unauthorized access or use.

    ‘It’s untenable’

    “What you would never do is put a box of health records out on the curb for disposal,” she added. “It’s untenable. You would never do that.”

    Cavoukian said the records could be stolen and used to commit identity theft.

    The office of the information and privacy of commissioner of Ontario will try to determine whether CML Healthcare had proper protocols in place to protect privacy, and how a breakdown may have occurred. The goal is to ensure such a breach won’t happen again, Cavoukian said.

    The investigation could result in an order finding the company in breach of the law, and someone could then take that order to take legal action against the company.

    The company also faces damage to its reputation, Cavoukian said.

    Parking attendant found loose records

    About a dozen muddy, rumpled pages bearing patient names, phone numbers and medical records were fluttering in the street outside CML’s clinic when they were spotted around 9 a.m. by Andre Werbrouck, an attendant at a parking lot next door.

    He collected them and noticed they carried the clinic’s letterhead as well as information that most patients expect to remain confidential, including results for various lab tests.

    “If I was a customer from there and something like that happened, I don’t want nobody to know my birth … date,” he said, adding that if someone dishonest found the papers, “He can screw those people real bad.”

    By the time a CBC reporter arrived around 10:30 a.m., at least one of the papers was still lying in the snow across the street.

    Werbrouck said he thinks they were blown out of a blue recycling bin that had been placed nearby. He said he will probably either return them to the clinic on Monday or destroy the records himself.

    A woman in a lab coat working Wednesday behind the desk of the CML Healthcare clinic in the basement of the medical centre building said her boss was away.

    She wasn’t willing to give her name, but pointed to the lab’s paper shredder and said documents are only placed in the recycling bin beside while waiting to be shredded. She added that the incident was clearly due to a mistake and she planned to find out how it happened.

    CML Healthcare has 119 medical imaging clinics across the country, including 92 in Ontario, as well as 124 medical test clinics across Ontario and a medical diagnostic lab. Shares of the CML HealthCare Income Fund trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

    (Source: www.cbc.ca)

  • Social Insecurity – Binghamton University Puts Private Information in Jeopardy Again

    Posted on March 10th, 2009 admin No comments

    On Monday the 13th of October, WHRW News made a startling discovery. Heading by a dumpster on the campus of Binghamton University a news team inadvertently stumbled upon a pile of official Binghamton university documents containing personal information. All of the files contained Social Security numbers and full names, for fifty-six different people. The ninety-one documents (totaling almost a hundred and fifty pages) were office files from the German Department in the mid-seventies detailing classes, grades, assistant stipends and other personal information including birthdays and addresses. To add ironic insult to injury, the pile of documents and folders containing this information was piled on top of bags of shredded documents, making it clear that the building in question had a shredder at its disposal but had not decided to use it for these critical documents.

    This is not the first time that Binghamton University has jeopardized the personal information of students past and present. Last year, an undergraduate adviser in Binghamton University’s School of Management e-mailed Social Security numbers of three hundred and thirty eight students to over two hundred accounting students. On top of this, there were numerous reported instances of failures to protect students’ identities, including one instance where inter-campus mail services accidentally sent a package containing scans of passports and personal information of Turkish exchange students to WHRW.

    Worse still, in 2005 the data of over four hundred students, including their social security numbers and dates of birth, was left on an unsecured server. The fallout of this incident prompted Binghamton University officials to recommend that BU students be issued randomly generated ID numbers on entry to the university, a recommendation which was only implemented after the School of Management fiasco last year.

    The fifty-six people detailed in the pile of documents found this week include Paul Ewald, the deceased beneficiary of a scholarship bearing his name for German majors in Binghamton University; the late Dr. Emory Carr who was a professor of German studies in Marshall University; and a professor at Broome Community College, along with numerous other people. The data, a veritable gold mine for would be identity thieves, had over six hundred social security numbers in the pages and had suffered no attempts at obscuration at all, and was clearly available in plain sight to any passers by.

    When contacted for information the head of Public Relations for Binghamton University declined to comment. An official of Binghamton University did say that they were “deeply concerned” about the breach of protocol and were running an investigation to find what lead to this regrettable accident. They also said that they were going to contact everyone whose name appeared on the documents in question to inform them of any potential future problems.

    Peter Spaet, the Student Association Vice President of Academic affairs, and the man whose jurisdiction this would fall to, did respond to a request for comment. Saying “this is a very disappointing occurrence for all students” made worse “by this being only the latest in a series of similar instances.” However he did go on to say that he did not blame the university administration, saying “The administrators at the top levels … [have] gone above and beyond [their duty] to eliminate the use of social security numbers around campus.” Peter did not wish to make further comment at this time.

    WHRW News did try to contact a number of people whose names appeared on the documents. But no one has returned phone calls as of yet. WHRW News has decided not to make public any living names that appeared on the list until we contact the persons in question and attain their permission to do so. However, we will release that some people’s social security numbers appeared on as many as twenty or thirty individual documents, with one person appearing a grand total of forty-seven times.

    WHRW News will keep you informed as more happens, and will be the first place to inform you as to the reaction of Binghamton University when they decide to make a public statement on the subject.

    This article was written by Robert Glass. Assistance in tallying the documents came from Scott Schoen, Leah Gottlieb, Calvin Bienvenu and Michael Mechmann.

    (Source : news.whrwfm.org)

  • WTHR Investigation Leads to Record $2.25M HIPAA Settlement

    Posted on March 6th, 2009 admin No comments

    cvs-settlement13 Investigates’ “Prescription Privacy” investigation has resulted in a $2.25 million settlement agreement between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the nation’s largest retail drugstore chain.CVS, which operates more than 6,000 pharmacies, has agreed to pay the record-setting settlement and implement a “robust corrective action plan” after WTHR found the company was tossing its customers’ private healthcare records into unsecured dumpsters in Indianapolis and other cities nationwide.

    “This is a very important settlement,” said Robinsue Frohboese, acting director of HHS’ Office for Civil Rights. “The millions of customers who go to CVS pharmacies will now have the confidence that their very personal healthcare information will, in fact, be protected.”

    During its investigation, HHS found that CVS failed to implement adequate policies and procedures to reasonably and appropriately safeguard protected health information during the disposal process; failed to adequately train employees on how to dispose of such information properly; and did not maintain and implement a sanctions policy for members of its workforce who failed to comply with its disposal policies and procedures.

    Frohboese said WTHR’s 2006 investigation “formed the basis of the [federal] investigation,” which was launched after Indianapolis-area CVS customers filed complaints with the Office of Civil Rights.

    Jackie Wright was one of those customers.

    Wright felt betrayed by her drugstore after learning her family’s healthcare records were among dozens of private healthcare documents WTHR found in a dumpster behind a northwest side CVS.

    “They are supposed to be shredding it, getting rid of it and destroying it – not throwing it in the dumpster where people can get your personal information,” she told WTHR in June 2006. Soon after, Wright filed a federal HIPAA complaint, alleging that CVS failed to protect her privacy.

    She heard nothing about her complaint — until today.

    “I thought everybody forgot about it and that nobody really cared,” she said. “But $2.25 million, that’s a lot of money… $2.25 million says they do think about what you say.”

    Unfortunately for Wright, complainants will not get any of the pay-out. HHS says all of the settlement money has been deposited into the US Treasury and will be used to investigate other cases involving companies accused of violating healthcare privacy regulations.

    As part of its 20-page settlement, CVS is required to fully implement an action plan designed to protect patient information from being discarded into unsecured dumpsters. The plan will be monitored for 20 years by the Federal Trade Commission, which assisted the Office For Civil Rights in the investigation, marking the first time the agencies have worked together to enforce violations of the nation’s healthcare privacy law.

    Much of CVS’s corrective action plan was developed in late 2006 after 13 Investigates expanded its investigation to show the company’s privacy violations extended far beyond Indianapolis.

    In summer and fall of 2006, WTHR visited cities across the nation and, despite assurances from CVS that it had taken corrective measures at its pharmacies, 13 Investigates found the company was still failing to protect customer privacy. WTHR found protected patient records in CVS dumpsters in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Dallas, Louisville, Miami, New Haven (Conn.), Philadelphia, and Phoenix. 13 Investigates also found hundreds of private customer records tossed into CVS dumpsters in Woonsocket, R.I., which is home to CVS world headquarters. The investigation also revealed similar problems at Walgreens and RiteAid pharmacies, the country’s second and third largest drugstore chains.

    On Wednesday, CVS released a statement saying it agreed to the settlement “to avoid the time and expense of further legal proceedings” and the “company denied engaging in any wrongful conduct.”

    But that contradicts earlier statements made by corporate officials.

    Two years ago, when 13 Investigates went to CVS headquarters to show what we found, CVS privacy officer Christine Egan admitted “We are not safeguarding customer privacy as we are required to do… It’s sad and intolerable.”

    Today’s agreement is only the second monetary settlement involving HIPAA violations since the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act took effect in 2003, and the $2.25 million figure shatters the previous settlement. In July 2008, HHS entered into its first HIPAA settlement agreement with Seattle-based Providence Health & Services. The company paid $100,000 stemming from lost and stolen computers containing health information.

    Federal regulators say they hope this latest settlement will help them promote the importance of protecting healthcare information, and HHS has posted a tip sheet for other businesses to learn from CVS’ mistakes.

    “The Office For Civil Rights is using this opportunity to get good information out to healthcare providers about appropriate ways to dispose of personal health information,” Frohboese said.

    HHS won’t comment on the possibility of a settlement agreement with Walgreens and other pharmacies involved in WTHR’s Prescription Privacy investigation, which also prompted formal complaints against CVS and Walgreens by the Indiana Attorney General. Those cases are still pending before the Indiana Board of Pharmacy.

    (Source : www.wthr.com)

  • Keep Personal Indentity Thieves at Bay During Tax Season

    Posted on October 27th, 2008 NewSunSEO No comments

    The U.S. economy may not be the only beneficiary of the recently passed federal economic stimulus package – identity thieves are getting a boost, too. Why? In the wake of the recent IRS announcement that more than 130 million Americans will receive tax rebates this year, identity thieves are using the promise of extra cash to lure Americans into disclosing their sensitive personal information.

    These “phishing” schemes can take a variety of forms, the most common of which involves an identity thief who calls or e-mails a consumer pretending to be an IRS employee. The consumer is promised a sizable rebate if they file their taxes early. All the caller needs in exchange is the consumer’s bank account number to deposit the check.

    The bad news is that schemes like the one described above are common; the good news is that falling victim to one is avoidable – as long as consumers get smart on the facts and follow the proper precautions.

    Below ID theft expert Brian Lapidus, chief operating officer of Kroll’s Fraud Solutions, offers some important advice that every consumer should know about protecting their personal information during tax season. At Kroll, Lapidus oversees a highly-skilled team that includes veteran licensed investigators who meet regularly with IRS agents to stay apprised of emergent tax fraud issues – bolstering the team’s specialized work supporting breach victims and restoring individuals’ compromised identities to pre-theft status.

    Preparing your taxes?

    • Beware of phishing schemes. The IRS never contacts consumers by e-mail or phone to request sensitive personal information (SSN, checking account information, etc.). If you receive a phone call or e-mail that you suspect may be a “phishing” scam, file a complaint with the Anti-Phishing Working Group and contact the IRS immediately.
    • Avoid shopping mall kiosks or pop-up preparers who offer to assist you with tax preparation. Considering the amount of sensitive personal information involved in the tax preparation process, you probably don’t want to hand over your files to someone whose experience and background are unfamiliar to you. Ask a trusted friend to introduce you to his/her tax preparer or consult a local CPA association for trustworthy members.

    Filing electronically?

    • Avoid using wireless networks. Use of wireless networks means your data is being transmitted over open airwaves, similar to a radio transmission. If not properly secured, data can easily be picked up by an uninvited party.
    • Don’t prepare your taxes on a public computer. Public computers can contain “keylogger” spyware, which records every keystroke including passwords and account information. Keyloggers make it possible for an identity thief to steal any information entered into the computer during your session. Preparing your taxes on a public computer also increases your vulnerability to “shoulder surfers” – individuals who look over your shoulder to observe what you are doing and, more importantly, collect the sensitive data you’re entering.
    • Only keep a record of your tax claims as long as necessary. Thieves can’t steal what you don’t have. Purge the data once the need for it has expired. Suggested guidelines for individual recordkeeping are available online through the IRS at: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p552/ar02.html#d0e617.

    Filing by mail?

    • Don’t put your completed claim in an unlocked mailbox for pick-up. Instead, deposit outgoing mail at a post office.
    • Take it one step further and opt for delivery tracking. That way you can be certain that your information has gotten to the IRS safely.
    • Waiting for your tax rebate? Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery. The longer your mail sits in an unsecured mailbox, the greater your chances of it falling into the wrong hands.
    • You may also choose to have the IRS deposit your tax rebate directly into your bank account, further minimizing the risk of theft.
    (Source: http://www.krollfraudsolutions.com/ )
  • The History Of Paper Shredding

    Posted on October 24th, 2008 NewSunSEO No comments

    The paper shredders that are available today, are used widely in homes and offices for destroying various kinds of documents. These paper shredders are useful in cutting paper into very fine strips or chips so that there are no visible traces of the content on these documents. The shredding benefits of paper are used widely by different government organizations, business and private enterprises and even individuals. Shredding has become one of the best ways to destroy the private papers like credit card bills, bank statements and other private or sensitive documents that are confidential. Shredding of these documents also helps in reducing the risks of identity thefts.

    The history of the paper shredder goes back to almost a century ago. The first paper shredder had been invented by the prolific Abbot Augustus Low from Horseshoe New York. At that time the device to destroy these paper documents was known as the ‘waste paper receptacle’ and it had also been patented. This device provided a better way of improving the methods of paper disposable and waste paper. The patent had been filed on the 2nd of February, 1909 and the patent for the same was received on the 31st of August with the patent number 929,960. But the invention of Augustus was never manufactured.

    Then the paper shredder by Adolf Ehinger was made. This shredder had been based on the popular pasta maker and it had been manufactured in Germany in 1935. It is said that Aodlf had to shred some of his anti Nazi propaganda so that inquiries from the authorities could be avoided. The shredder had been marketed to various government and financial agencies. This device was then converted from hand crank to electric motor. The first cross-cut paper shredders had been made in the year 1959 by EBA Maschinenfabrik, which was owned by Adolf. The company continues to make paper shredders till date in the name of EBA Krug & Priester GmbH & Co. in Balingen.

    The U.S embassy in Iran would use strip cut paper shredders for shredding paper. Till the 1980’s the use of paper shredders had been used mainly by non government institutions. After the 1984 judgment of the Supreme Court, where the court stated that the fourth amendment does not prohibit the warrant-less seizure of garbage from homes, the use of these paper shredders became more popular and are used widely now.

    (source:ShreddingHouston.net)
  • 11 People Charged In TJX Identity Theft Case of 45+ Million Personal Identities

    Posted on October 21st, 2008 NewSunSEO No comments

    11 people, including even a confidential informant working for the Secret Service, were charged in connection with a case involving illegally tapping into the wireless payment processing systems of the following retail outlets:

    • TJX (TJ Max)
    • OfficeMax
    • Boston Market
    • Barnes & Noble
    • Sport’s Authority
    • DSW
    • Forever 21
    • BJ’s Wholesale Club

    Besides tapping into the wireless networks of these major retailers, the thieves were successful in setting up programs that captured card numbers, passwords and account information from a massive amount of unsuspecting consumers.

    While TJX admitted to 45 million consumers were negatively impacted from the two year period the identity thieves had unauthorized access to their payment processing data, court documents revealed the real estimate was closer to 100 million consumers confidential data was compromised based on depositions by Visa and Mastercard.

    The ring leader, a Miami man who was also the confidential informant for the Secret Service, turned out to be a double agent who had been providing criminal’s information about ongoing investigations and tipping off associates.

    With the massive amount of credit account access information stolen and provided to worldwide identity thieves, this case involving TJX has a big impact in our personal identity and financial safety.

  • Medical Records Sold As Scrap Paper

    Posted on October 2nd, 2008 NewSunSEO No comments

    Who needs hacking or phishing skills to commit identity theft when paper-based medical records of active patients — including all manner of personally identifiable information — wind up for sale as scrap paper?

    From the Associated Press:

    The medical records of 28 Central Florida Regional Hospital patients were sold last month at a Salt Lake City surplus store for about $20, a newspaper reported.

    The records were sold to a local school teacher looking for scrap paper for her fourth-grade class, The Deseret Morning News of Salt Lake City reported Monday.

    The hospital, which had sent the records out as part of an audit, and the shipping company — UPS — blame a mix-up of some undetermined origin. The hospital promises to do better; UPS is, well, UPS.

    I read this story having just returned from a checkup with my own physician, who over the 25-plus years of treating my never-ending list of ailments has chronicled every detail in a manila folder. He’s no Luddite; just hasn’t converted. Sit next to his office assistant in the waiting room and you can see a huge horizontal filing cabinet containing hundreds of similar folders.

    In other words, the security of my medical records is only as good as good as the attentiveness of the office assistant and the lock on my doc’s office door.

    He’s a fabulous doctor and she’s helped me countless times over the years, so I accept the risk. And I’d probably forgive and forget should the worst happen.

    Central Florida Regional Hospital, however, may not be so lucky.

    “I’m aghast,” said Marcy Lippincott, whose father’s records were among those sold, according to AP. “I’m wondering who to sue. It’s a complete invasion of privacy. It’s appalling to think your records can be out there somewhere like that.”

    Everyone should be aghast, of course, and everyone whose privacy is compromised so recklessly should have a child who grows up to be an attorney, such as is this case with Marcy Lippincott and her Dad.

    Something tells me Ms. Lippincott will figure out who to sue in behalf of Mr. Lippincott.

     

    MicroShred can handle all your medical record shredding needs. Utilizing truck-mounted powerful industrial shredders, we provide a secure, convenient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly method to dispose of highly confidential documents and other materials. Our mobile shredding units come to you and shred all sensitive material at your location, under your supervision.

    http://www.microshred.com/medical-record-shredding-company.htm