TENNESSEE STOLEN COMPUTER CONTAINED SENSITIVE PATIENT DATA WREG-TV Memphis - Identification theft hits 70,000 people

Posted by Omari Fleming
Identification theft hits 70,000 people

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(MEMPHIS, TN 10/30/2007) Pathology Group of the Mid-South operates out of an office building in East Memphis. They do laboratory testing for many medical facilities in the Memphis area. While you may not know a lot about them, if you've gotten lab work done lately, the company probably knows an awful lot about you. Your name, address, social security number, even medical information.

Billy Wheeler's already been a victim of identity theft once. That's why a recent break-in at the building has him wondering if he'll fall victim again. "Someone should be telling the public other than these people who are not doing everything they could do in my estimation."

Pathology Group sent a letter out, notifying clients that someone broke into the locked office building on September 23 or 24th. More than a month later, Wheeler's family is just getting theirs. "My biggest concern is the timeliness," says Wheeler.

According to the notice, several computers with flat screen monitors were stolen. One of those computers had patient information on about 75,000 people. One of which was Wheeler's wife. The thieves not only stole thousands of people's personal information, they also stole Wheeler's peace of mind. "We received a fraud call from a Visa card company," explains Wheeler."Immediately, I thought now it's going to start."

Turns out, it was just Wheeler's daughter using the card out of town. But next time, he fears he won't be so lucky. While he's got fraud protection on his credit cards, protecting his 76-year-old mother's assets is a different story.

"They could compromise her bank account, take out cards in her name. Breach of identity theft is a serious thing," said Wheeler.