ChoicePoint, a data-aggregation company, said Monday that it is notifying nearly 145,000 consumers nationwide whose confidential data – including credit reports and Social Security numbers – may have been obtained through fraud.
The company said it is unknown how many of these approximately 145,000 consumers may be actual victims of identity theft. Law enforcement officials have contacted about 750 consumers nationwide to inform them that some part of their personal information has been compromised.
ChoicePoint sells consumer data to credit providers, government agencies, landlords and others looking to make business decisions based on a person’s credit history and other factors.
In January, the company initially notified 35,000 potentially affected California consumers. But then 38 attorney generals from other states petitioned ChoicePoint to notify their residents as well. The company said its in the process of notifying approximately 110,000 additional consumers in other states that may have also been impacted.
ChoicePoint detected in Octoboer fraudulent activities in several small business accounts based in the Los Angeles area and contacted local law enforcement.
Authorities determined that the theives used stolen identities to create and produce the documents needed to appear legitmate. As small business customers of ChoicePoint, the fraudsters accessed products that contained Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, abbreviated credit reports, and public record information including, including bankruptcies, liens, and judgments.
Additionally, a Nigerian citizen last week pled no contest in California state court and was sentenced to 16 months in prison in connection with this incident.
(via ChoicePoint)
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