CALIFORNIA COMPUTER STOLEN FROM COLLEGEAppeal-Democrat.comCollege laptop 'stolen'

By Kymm Mann/Appeal-Democrat

A laptop computer containing personal information was presumed stolen from a student services office at Yuba College on June 28, prompting memos to all campuses to alert employees of possible identity theft.

A letter, issued with an Upward Bound letterhead, was described as a "courtesy advisement" and claimed the computer contained Social Security numbers, addresses and names.

It was sent to the Woodland and Clearlake campuses as well as the Beale Air Force Base Center.

Signed by Yvette Santana-Soto, director of the Cal-SOAP and TRIO programs, the memo said the laptop was stolen advised people to call fraud units of three credit reporting companies if any unauthorized activity was discovered on their credit cards.

"Ask that your accounts be flagged," the letter read. "Also, add a victim's statement to your report ... ask if you can add yourself to the Identity Theft Registry."

Phone calls to several departments of the college and the campus police were not returned Thursday or Friday. Steve Durfor, Yuba County undersheriff, said a formal report was not filed with his department.

The letter informed recipients that "your personal information may have been maintained on the hard drive of the laptop computer."

It is unknown what the computer was used for or how many names it contained.

Identity theft has left hundreds of millions of people victimized in the last two years, according to a statement by Debra Bowen, a senator in the 28th state senatorial district.

"Victims spend an average of 600 hours and $1,400 in out-of-pocket expenses cleaning up the havoc identity thieves wreak on their lives," she said.

Bowen is working on a new Senate Bill, 852, that is designed to strengthen California's identity theft prevention laws.

For more information, log on to the Department of Justice Web site at www.ag.c.gov/idtheft/general.htm, the Federal Trade Commission Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/, or the California Office of Privacy at www.privacy.ca.gov or call 1-866-785-9663.