LOS ANGELES STOLEN LAPTOP COMPUTERS AT UCLA CAUSES CONCERN ABOUT BLOOD DONOR LIST DATAheraldtribune.com: Southwest Florida's Information LeaderUCLA says stolen computer puts 145,000 blood donors at theft risk


The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES -- A stolen laptop computer put 145,000 UCLA blood donors at risk of identity theft because it contained their Social Security numbers, birthdates and other personal information.

The UCLA Blood and Platelet Center sent a June 5 letter notifying donors about the November theft of a computer from a locked van. The letter, required by state law, was sent to everyone who gave blood over the last 15 years.

The information on the computer was protected by a password but it lacked sophisticated encryption codes that UCLA now uses, said Dr. Michael McCoy, a spokesman for UCLA Healthcare.

Officials at the University of California, Los Angeles, said they only realized the significance of the theft last month during an internal evaluation of data security.

"There's no indication that any of this information has been used, and we've acted promptly to notify people," said Dr. Priscilla Figueroa, director of transfusion medicine,.

"This is particularly devastating to people who were doing the right thing: giving us blood to help save other people's lives," she said.

Meanwhile, another laptop was reported missing two weeks ago from a UCLA financial office. It contained information on another 50,000 to 100,000 people, and warning letters will be sent in the next few weeks, UCLA officials said.