Texans beware.  Like most people in the United States, the fine citizens of this state submit insurance claims to their companies all the time.  Whenever any of us do this, we assume that what we’re handing over will be treated with care, quickness, and most importantly, confidence.  None of us want our private information to be floating around in the world without our knowledge.  Yet, this is the exact situation that people in Richardson, Texas are waking up to.

Late last week, authorities were called to investigate the scene at a dumpster outside of the Texas Insurance Claims Services building.  Within the container were hundreds of files that contained private information.  These are the types of data breaches that people fear more and more on a daily basis.  The worst part is that the files in the trash bin contained personal addresses, phone numbers, maiden names, social security numbers, and insurance claim numbers.  All of this material would easily allow someone to steal the identity of anyone who filed a policy with the company.  Early reports said that the files related to claims that had been resolved, but this has not been verified.  Regardless of the status of the files, the personal information is still valid and dangerous to leave exposed.

The man responsible for finding the files and reporting them to the police was Mike McCarty.  Rather than finding them on his own, he noticed a man taking pictures of the trash.  Once he pulled his car over, McCarty saw that it was a cache of private data, just waiting for some data thief to exploit the breach.  The man who was taking pictures of the files claimed he was searching for moving boxes.  That does not explain why he decided to photograph the event.  Police have not questioned him and do not assume him to be a suspect of any wrongful deeds at this point.

In an effort to track down more information about this data breach, reporters contacted Texas Insurance Claims Services.  Although a spokesman would not provide his name, he did let the media know that legally, the company is only required to hold on to claim files for five years.  All the information that ended up in the dumpster fell within this time period.  While the company is responsible for the private data of its customers, the representative said that this is common practice and that shredding services are used only on occasion.  However, he did admit that this negative publicity would make his company reconsider their practices.

With such breaches becoming more common, many individuals are investing in ID theft services.  One of the most popular choices is Lifelock.  The company is widely known and provides protection from identity theft.  It monitors all three credit bureaus and lets people know when a loan or new credit card is opened under their name.  This allows people to stay informed without having to constantly check with the bureaus and paying costly processing fees.