Associated Press
Sen. Dole Data Likely on Lost Bank Tapes
Sunday February 27, 3:51 pm ET
Sen. Elizabeth Dole's Personal Data Likely on Missing Bank of America Tapes, an Aide Says
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Sen. Elizabeth Dole was likely one of the U.S. senators to have personal information on computer data tapes lost by Bank of America Corp., her press secretary said.
The Republican North Carolina senator "certainly thinks it's an unfortunate incident but it appears Bank of America has handled the situation appropriately," Lindsay Taylor, a spokeswoman for Dole, told the Charlotte Observer.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bank of America said Friday the tapes contained information on 1.2 million federal employees, including some members of the U.S. Senate and about 900,000 Defense Department employees.
Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt., who has called for congressional hearings on companies that gather and sell personal information, is also among the senators whose personal information is on the missing tapes, spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler said.
The lost data includes Social Security numbers and account information that could make customers of a federal government charge card program vulnerable to identity theft.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said he was told the data backup tapes were likely stolen from a commercial plane by baggage handlers in December. His data was also on the tapes.
Officials with the Charlotte-based bank said they believe the tapes were lost during shipment to a backup facility and say no unusual activity has showed up on accounts. An e-mail sent by the Senate Rules Committee to senators said the tapes could have ended up in a landfill.
The Defense Department's investigative arm is working with the Secret Service in an investigation, said Lt. Cmdr. Jane Campbell, a Pentagon spokeswoman.
The news of the lost data comes on the heels of Alpharetta, Ga.-based data warehouser ChoicePoint Inc.'s revelation that criminals had duped it into allowing them access to its massive database. |
