AG launches effort to protect personal information

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BY JoANNE YOUNG / Lincoln Journal Star

The problems of identity theft have not sidestepped Nebraska.

In 2006, nearly 900 residents were victims.

And over the past two years, Attorney General Jon Bruning’s office has fielded more than 200 identity theft complaints.

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Attorney General Jon Bruning

Attorney General Jon Bruning

Thursday, Bruning launched a statewide effort — Guard It — to help businesses protect personal information.

Most Nebraska businesses keep sensitive information in electronic or paper files, he said. If names, Social Security numbers, credit and debit card information are not protected, businesses could be at risk of endangering customers’ credit and their own reputations.

Between 2003 to 2008, a ring of thieves stole 41 million credit and debit card numbers from stores such as OfficeMax, TJ Maxx and Barnes and Noble. Two hundred Nebraskans were affected.

A 2005 Lexis Nexis security breach affected almost 5,000 Nebraskans.

And more recently, 28 employee files containing Social Security numbers and copies of driver’s licenses were found in a dumpster outside of Omaha’s Oakview Mall.

Bruning’s office partnered with the Federal Trade Commission and the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the “Guard It” guide. It gives businesses five common sense steps to secure data, Bruning said.

* Take stock. Know what personal information you have in your files and on your computer.

* Scale down. Keep only what you need for your business.

* Lock it. Protect information that you keep.

* Pitch it. Properly dispose of what you no longer need.

* Plan ahead. Create a plan to respond to security incidents.

Marc LeBaron, chairman and CEO of Lincoln Industries, said at a news conference to promote the guide that protecting information is “extremely important,” regardless of a business’s size.

He particularly liked the information in the guide on training employees, who are a big investment of any business, he said.

The guide suggests doing background checks on employees that will have access to sensitive data, knowing which employees have access to the data and having a procedure in place for employees who leave the business or transfer to another part of the company.

Reach JoAnne Young at 473-7228 or jyoung@journalstar.com.