Atlanta-based credit bureau Equifax Inc., itself entrusted as a collector and distributor of confidential information, may soon be dealing with the effects of being a victim of identity theft.
According to an AP report, an employee’s laptop computer containing Equifax employee names and Social Security numbers has been of an employee has been stolen from an employee traveling in the United Kingdom.
Information for as many as 2,500 of the company’s more than 4,000 employees may have been obtained.
A spokesperson for Equifax has said notifications went out to the affected employees. Additionally, the spokesperson expressed optimism that the information was streamed in such a way that a thief may not be able to make use of it.
Nevertheless, the company has provided the affected employees access to its credit monitoring service and has encouraged them to put a fraud alert on their credit files, according to AP.
The Equifax incident follows two other notable laptop computer thefts in recent weeks, one affecting District of Columbia employees and the other armed forces veterans. Additionally, a set of paper documents containing personal information of Department of Energy employees was found in a home in the state of Washington.
