TEXAS STOLEN LAPTOP COMPUTER CONTAINED SENSITIVE INFORMATION cbs11tv.com - Stolen Laptop Contained Sensitive Information

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Stolen Laptop Contained Sensitive Information

(CBS 11 News) DALLAS Nearly 160,000 people, many in North Texas, may be at serious risk of identity theft after a laptop computer went missing.

The laptop is owned by the Houston-based company Administaff. The company contracts with small businesses to handle their administrative duties.

"It scares me that my credit cards, my name, my address, everything is in jeopardy," said Jeff Smith of Irving.

Administaff says the company laptop has been missing since October 3. The laptop holds the names, addresses and social security numbers of former and current employees placed by Administaff.

"I figure a professional company would want to safeguard against theft," said Smith. "Everyone knows that a laptop is portable, and you can always take a laptop away."

On its website, Administaff states it’s attempting to notify nearly 160,000 employees. Smith was one of the employees who received a letter from the company.

In the letter, Administaff admits that "personal information was not saved in an encrypted location, which is a clear violation of company policies.”

A representative from Administaff said the company "is taking every precaution to secure the missing personal information," and "it’s offering those affected one year of free credit monitoring by Equifax."