TransUnion Credit Agency - Customer Data Stolen

It seems a day doesn't go by without a companykeep someone from seeing the data, it should
announcing it has lost or had customer datalose its right to do business. A hacker would smirk
stolen. TransUnion Credit Agency has now joinedat that.
the parade of identity theft.Bigger Issues
TransUnion Credit Agency3,600 consumer records is really a small issue
In late summer, TransUnion discovered that overwhen considering the big picture of consumer
3,600 consumer records had been stolen from aprivacy issues. It does, however, portend to a
regional sales office in California. The companybigger problem.
indicated the data was stored on an independentTransUnion is one of the big three credit reporting
desktop computer. The company believes theagencies with Experian and Equifax being the
computer was stolen as part of a burglary, not another two. It strikes me that the databases of
intentional intent to steal consumer data.these three companies must be the Holy Grail of
There are more than a few serious issues withIdentity Theft. What happens if someone gets
TransUnion's position and action. First, consumerinto one of these systems?
data shouldn't be stored on a desktop computerWhat happens if an employee with access to the
sitting on a desk. More importantly, what is thedata gets tempted? Keep AOL in mind. An AOL
data doing on a computer in a regional SALESemployee was recently sentenced for selling the
office? TransUnion is supposedly looking into theseAOL member list to spammers. How much do
issues.you think a criminal organization would pay for a
Insultingly, TransUnion has suggested the stolencopy of consumer records in a credit agency
data is not a big deal since the computer isdatabase?
password protected. If TransUnion really thinks aA lot.
password protected desktop computer is going to