Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Some Rowan County seniors are at risk for having their identities stolen because of a laptop theft in Atlanta.
The state’s Division of Aging, which owns the laptop, has sent out letters to explain what happened and to give advice on what seniors can do to protect their information from identity theft or scams.
Clyde Fahnestock, director of Rowan County’s Senior Services Department, has pledged to do everything possible to help local seniors deal with the problem. He said seniors shouldn’t panic over the letter. At this point, it’s entirely precautionary.
“To our knowledge there is no breach of the information,” he said.
The laptop contained information from the Division of Aging and Adult Services. The files have Social Security numbers and other personal information of seniors across the state.
Fahnestock said Rowan seniors are now receiving the letters and have contacted his department.
“I deeply regret the loss of this information, which will create confusion and anxiety for our seniors,” Fahnestock said.
He noted that although the information on the laptop is password protected, the state is advising seniors to place a “fraud alert” on their credit reports with follow-up monitoring.
The letter from the state gives very specific information about what action to take, listing the names of the credit reporting agencies and telephone numbers and Web site addresses.
The letter advises those with questions or concerns to contact the Department of Health and Human Services Care-Line by calling 1-800-662-7030.
But Fahnestock suggests seniors contact his department at 704-216-7700. He noted that the state number has been constantly busy. Two staff members have been given primary responsibility to deal with seniors on the phone or handle walk-in inquiries.
The laptop may have contained as many as 80,000 senior citizens’ files.
Fahnestock said the state has not provided any information on how many Rowan seniors could be affected.
“Since we are continuing to learn more about this situation and are actively testing the advice given in the letters, we are likely to have a backlog of persons asking for assistance,” he said.
At this point, the department is taking names and contact information of seniors and scheduling follow-up appointments.
“I am sorry this incident has occurred and deeply regret how this will affect our seniors,” said Fahnestock.