BankRI: Stolen laptop held some customer data
09:22 PM EST on Thursday, December 18, 2003
projo.com and Journal staff
PROVIDENCE -- Bank Rhode Island today reported the theft of a laptop computer that may have contained some information on 43,000 customers, more than half of the bank's customer base.
The information on the laptop potentially included 43,000 customers' names, addresses and social security numbers, but did not include key account access data such as personal identification numbers, account passwords, debit or ATM card information or other financial data, according to a Bank Rhode Island press release.
"There is no risk to any BankRI accounts as a result of this incident," said Merrill Sherman, president and CEO. "We deeply regret this incident and sincerely apologize for any anxiety or inconvenience this may cause."
BankRI's principal data service provider, Fiserv, Inc., reported the theft. The information on the laptop was part of a database Fiserv was working on, Sherman said.
"The best information we have is it was stolen over the weekend," Sherman said. She declined to say where it was stolen from other than to say, "It was not locally."
The bank said fewer 83 BankRI account numbers were included, but those accounts were not identified by customer name.
The bank has no indication that the information has been misused or been improperly accessed, the bank said. As a precaution, the bank has notified all customers whose information was potentially included on the laptop, is monitoring accounts for unusual activity and has increased its internal security procedures.
Sherman said of the laptop, "This clearly was not a preferred storage vehicle for this information."
The FBI is investigating the theft, according to the bank.
-- With reports from Journal staff writer David McPherson. |
