Although reports of data breaches seem to be centered in the United States, the rest of the world is far from safe from such occurrences. This was recently proven in a daring day-time robbery at a medical center in England. The worst part about this robbery is that the people most likely to suffer from the effects are small children and their parents. As has been reported far too often in the media, young children who are the victims of identity theft sometimes spend the rest of their lives trying to overcome all the hurdles that have been placed in their way. Many never overcome them. Thankfully though, there have been developments in protection over the last few years.

One of the best improvements has been the creation of subscription ID theft services. Not only do these companies, like Lifelock, provide checks on credit reports and financial accounts, but they also protect the subscribers from any unauthorized activities that take place due to identity theft. Although some companies are bound by national borders, Lifelock is able to provide coverage to citizens in both the United State and the United Kingdom.

Despite the sketchy nature of details involving the most recent data breach, authorities are saying that there is a “large risk of victims suffering from identity theft.” The theft of a laptop took place in Telford, England. The assailant simply walked in to the main office of the health center, disconnected the laptop, and walked out the front door. No efforts were made to stop the man because no one saw him take it. It was only after consulting the security cameras that an accurate description of the suspect was generated.

The laptop contained the medical history, addresses, and birth dates for 238 children. There have been no reports yet about the background of the children, although there has been some speculation that they were part of a program to provide assistance to underprivileged families. Despite the severity of this breach, authorities report that it could have been much worse. The laptop originally had access to England’s National Health Service system. Once the theft was reported, the first step taken to combat any possibility of identity theft was to deactivate the laptop’s subscription to that service. Authorities believe their proactive measures have ensured the safety of 1000’s of individuals.

While the investigation is on going, authorities have been fielding a number of questions from concerned parents. They have assured family members that they are working as quickly as they can and that notifications have been sent to the individuals affected by the breach. At this point, a spokesman for the health center has said that there have been no reported cases of identity theft, but that “top men will continue to monitor the situation in the foreseeable future.”

Tags: lifelock

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 1:20 am and is filed under Individuals. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.