If You Bank With Wells Fargo

KRL · 11-22-2003

Boy, to think all this sensitive customer info was in some guy's laptop to begin with makes you wonder about the security of our financial data.

Customer Data Was on Stolen PC, Wells Fargo Says

SAN FRANCISCO - Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC - news) said on Friday it had offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the burglar who stole a bank consultant's computer that had sensitive customer information on it.

The computer was one of several stolen earlier this month from the office of an analyst for the bank in Concord, California, the bank said.

The stolen PC contained names, addresses, bank account numbers and social security (news - web sites) numbers for customers who had taken out personal lines of credit that are used for consumer loans and overdraft protection, according to Wells Fargo.

No passwords or personal identification numbers were among the stolen data and no other Wells Fargo customers were affected, the bank said.

Under a California law enacted earlier this year aimed at curtailing identity theft, companies are required to notify customers when their computerized personal information is believed to have been stolen.

Citing the ongoing police investigation, Lynn Greenwood, senior vice president of Wells Fargo's home and consumer finance group she could not say how many customers might be affected.

"There is absolutely no indication anybody is misusing this information," she said. "We really, really regret this and are doing everything we possibly can to protect our customers."

The bank alerted affected customers this week, she said.

Greenwood said the bank was also monitoring customer accounts, changing account numbers and paying for a year's subscription to a credit monitoring service.

The company, which set up a tip hotline at +1-800-782-7463, said it would ensure that customers are not affected financially by any unauthorized activity on their accounts.

The San Francisco-based bank has about 22 million customers in 22 states, but only a "small percentage" of those were affected, she said.

Bishop · 11-22-2003

I'm betting that happens alot more often than companies admit..

MY FRIEND, got a phone call a few months ago from a lady.. lady explains to MY FRIEND, that she has a laptop but has lost the password. Long story short.. MY FRIEND, reset all the passwords and logged into the machine.. discovered it once belonged to a large insurance company.

MY FRIEND, called her back and told her to come clean on the machine.. knew it was stolen. She explains to MY FRIEND, that her uncle is a truck driver and that he had stolen several laptops from a load he was delivering. MY FRIEND, deleted all the sensitive data off the machine and gave the computer back.

I wonder how often stuff like that falls of the back of trucks...

Carrie · 11-22-2003

"your friend" should've called the insurance company instead.

Bishop · 11-22-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by Carrie@Nov 22 2003, 12:03 PM
"your friend" should've called the insurance company instead.

Yeah my friend said he didn't care to get involved. Would have been more trouble that it was worth. He did tell the lady not to ask for anymore favors.

11-22-2003	#1
KRL Members Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 339	Boy, to think all this sensitive customer info was in some guy's laptop to begin with makes you wonder about the security of our financial data. Customer Data Was on Stolen PC, Wells Fargo Says SAN FRANCISCO - Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC - news) said on Friday it had offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the burglar who stole a bank consultant's computer that had sensitive customer information on it. The computer was one of several stolen earlier this month from the office of an analyst for the bank in Concord, California, the bank said. The stolen PC contained names, addresses, bank account numbers and social security (news - web sites) numbers for customers who had taken out personal lines of credit that are used for consumer loans and overdraft protection, according to Wells Fargo. No passwords or personal identification numbers were among the stolen data and no other Wells Fargo customers were affected, the bank said. Under a California law enacted earlier this year aimed at curtailing identity theft, companies are required to notify customers when their computerized personal information is believed to have been stolen. Citing the ongoing police investigation, Lynn Greenwood, senior vice president of Wells Fargo's home and consumer finance group she could not say how many customers might be affected. "There is absolutely no indication anybody is misusing this information," she said. "We really, really regret this and are doing everything we possibly can to protect our customers." The bank alerted affected customers this week, she said. Greenwood said the bank was also monitoring customer accounts, changing account numbers and paying for a year's subscription to a credit monitoring service. The company, which set up a tip hotline at +1-800-782-7463, said it would ensure that customers are not affected financially by any unauthorized activity on their accounts. The San Francisco-based bank has about 22 million customers in 22 states, but only a "small percentage" of those were affected, she said. __________________ Quick Buck "Value and buy domains not for what they did yesterday or today, but rather for what they can be built to do in the future."

11-22-2003	#2
Bishop Members Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Charlotte NC Posts: 1,558	I'm betting that happens alot more often than companies admit.. MY FRIEND, got a phone call a few months ago from a lady.. lady explains to MY FRIEND, that she has a laptop but has lost the password. Long story short.. MY FRIEND, reset all the passwords and logged into the machine.. discovered it once belonged to a large insurance company. MY FRIEND, called her back and told her to come clean on the machine.. knew it was stolen. She explains to MY FRIEND, that her uncle is a truck driver and that he had stolen several laptops from a load he was delivering. MY FRIEND, deleted all the sensitive data off the machine and gave the computer back. I wonder how often stuff like that falls of the back of trucks... __________________ AEBN - Video On Demand ICQ - 33840775 xPeeps Profile http://xpeeps.com/member.php?u=84

11-22-2003	#3
Carrie Eternal Newbie Respin bullshit press Your Comments Are Welcomed Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Inside your monitor Posts: 2,850	"your friend" should've called the insurance company instead. __________________ Need a kick-ass design done quickly? I recommend Sex Creator - they absolutely ROCK.