CALIFORNIA COMPUTERS STOLEN Other banks' data on stolen computers:

Other banks' data on stolen computers
Just 1 was identified when theft revealed
By J. Harry Jones (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer

2:00 a.m. April 11, 2009

Six laptop computers stolen from an Orange County accounting firm may contain personal financial information from far more people than first reported.

The theft prompted Borrego Springs Bank to send letters to all its customers this week warning that they could be at risk for identity theft.

Yesterday, the accounting firm acknowledged that the computers contained information from “multiple” banks, not just Borrego Springs Bank.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Department, the laptops were stolen between 4:30 p.m. March 4 and 7 a.m. March 5 from the Laguna Hills office of the accounting firm Vavrinek, Trine, Day and Co.

Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said a window was broken to gain entry. No arrests have been made and the computers have not been located.

In the 36 days since then, there has been no indication that any of the records have been used for nefarious purposes, Ron White, the managing partner of the accounting firm, said yesterday.

The financial information contained in the laptops was not encrypted, White said, but access to it required the use of two passwords.

White said he is not authorized to reveal what other banks are involved, whether any besides Borrego Springs Bank are based in San Diego County, or even the number of banks the firm had as clients.

“We've approached this very, very seriously,” White said. All the banks involved have been notified and each is making its own decisions about whether to notify its customers and how to otherwise handle the situation, he said.

White said at first it was thought seven computers had been taken but it was later determined to be six. He said there have been similar burglaries recently in the the Laguna Hills area of the same type of equipment.

Borrego Springs Bank sent letters earlier this week to all its customers saying the laptops may have contained customer files that included bank account numbers, names and balances. It advised everyone to monitor their accounts for any unusual activity for one to two years.

White said he thinks some of the other banks involved have also sent out such warnings, but he isn't sure.

J. Harry Jones: (760) 737-7579; jharry.jones@uniontrib.com