The term "identity theft" has become a buzzword in the media. Identity theft occurs when an individual uses the personal information of another, such as a credit card or Social Security number, to open a new line of credit or commit other acts of fraud. In a 2007 survey done by Javelin Strategy and Research, 8.4 million Americans were victims of identity theft with a mean fraud value of $6,270 per victim. The average time it takes a victim to correct this error is 25 hours. The cost of theft protection is relatively low at an average of 100 dollars per month and is well worth it, given the extensive amount of time and money that are lost trying to regain an identity.
Several states have offered free identity theft protection. On June 17, 2007, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland announced that state employees of Ohio would receive free identity theft protection for one full year. Other states have offered free identity theft protection when a substantial number of individuals' personal information had been compromised.
This scenario took place in Nashville, Tenn., when two laptop computers were stolen from a county election building. Free identity theft protection was given to 337,000 citizens for one full year and the second-year renewal fee was discounted. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said in a Jan. 8 press release, "My goal is to not only protect the voters whose Social Security numbers have been put at risk, but also to protect the integrity of the election process."
A similar situation happened recently at the U. On June 2, 2.2 million University Hospital billing records were stolen from an employee of Perpetual Storage Inc. who violated company protocol by using his own vehicle and not taking the records directly to the secure vault. The issue was handled in a similar fashion as the incident in Tennessee. Free credit monitoring services will be provided by the U to those who were affected by the burglary.
Karra Porter, an attorney with Christensen & Jensen has filed a proposed class action suit against Perpetual Storage, claiming the company negligently handled important records exposing many patients to the danger of pervasive identity theft. Porter also publicly stated her intentions of filing a suit against the U.
The lawsuit filed against Perpetual Storage is appropriate. The proposed suit against the U, however, is nothing more than an overreaching and overzealous attempt to point the finger at those who were not at fault for the stolen records in an attempt to increase a firm's reputation. The U had a contract with Perpetual Storage to store the records in a vault in Cottonwood Canyon. The records left the campus and never made it to the vault because of a blatant disregard for company protocol by a negligent employee. The U had no reason to assume the company would commit such an error based on its sterling reputation. According to a report from fedspending.org, Perpetual Storage is contracted to store records for several federal agencies, including the Air Force and IRS.
We should blame those who are at fault and acknowledge the professional manner in which the U has gone the extra mile in an attempt to render this right. When a frivolous and unjust lawsuit of this nature is let loose, it is the firm-not the U-that should be left with a tarnished reputation.
letters@chronicle.utah.edu
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