The FTC has no reason to believe the information on the laptops, as opposed to the laptops themselves, was the target of the theft, said the release. In addition, the stolen laptops were password protected and the personal information was a very small part of several thousand files contained in one of the laptops. The personal information was gathered in law enforcement investigations and included, variously, names, addresses, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and in some instances, financial account numbers.
The letters being sent to the individuals, some of whom are defendants in current and past FTC cases, explain the type of information about that individual that may have been on the laptop, and the steps the individuals should consider taking to limit their risk of identity theft. The FTC will offer these individuals one year of free credit monitoring.
The FTC's inspector general has been notified and is investigating the theft. The local police department, as well as appropriate federal law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, also have been notified.
