This story came from a friend of mine who is a railroad engineer.  The source is noted at the top of the story.  

Tim Barnard, Records Management Clerk
Harrison County, Mississippi
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Phone (228) 865-4121 Fax (228) 865-4140 

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IDENTITY THEFT AT AMTRAK

Some 2,500 current and former Amtrak locomotive engineers may have been exposed to identity theft following the disappearance of a computer at an Amtrak information technology (IT) vendor’s facility in DeKalb, Ga., according to information supplied by Amtrak to the potential victims.

The computer was stolen during a break-in at the facility, Amtrak said. The theft occurred Sept. 19, but Amtrak did not notify the employees at risk until Nov. 20.

In a letter to those affected, Amtrak’s senior vice president for operations, William Crosbie, said, “Our investigation into the incident thus far indicates that the computer may not have contained any Amtrak employee data; however, out of an abundance of caution, we are notifying you of the incident so that you can take steps to protect yourself from the possibility of identity theft.”

Identity theft involves the unauthorized use of a person’s name, Social Security number and other personal information such as birth date and home address – all of which can be used to obtain credit cards in the victim’s name or to access the victim’s bank accounts.

Some 30,000 Union Pacific employees were put at risk of identity theft in June following the theft of a laptop computer containing personal information. UP was quick to notify union officials and employees. 

A website frequented by information technology professionals estimates that as many as 88 million Americans have been put at risk of identity theft following thefts of laptops and computers and other security breaches of corporate and government-agency data bases.

It is assumed that in most cases – but not all -- the thieves targeted the computer hardware rather than the information contained; but security experts warn that there is a vibrant underworld market for personal information that can be used profitably by cyber criminals.

Amtrak – as Union Pacific did – is arranging for the affected employees to enroll in a zero-cost (to employees) credit-monitoring service that could help in spotting unauthorized use of their personal information.

Crosbie apologized “that this event took place” and for “any inconvenience this may cause you.”


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