YouTube Shocker: Chase Bank Records Found In Trash
NEW YORK (CBS) ? A bank error that's certainly not in your favor has found its way onto the Internet, and now officials say very personal information of thousands of Chase Bank customers could find its way into the hands of identity thieves.
A new YouTube video flaunting the personal information of Chase Bank customers is getting a lot of attention. The video shows a person holding numerous confidential financial documents of bank customers, and pointing out information that is supposed to be protected by the bank.
"Social Security Numbers here as well as date of birth," one person could be heard saying on the video, pointing to one of the documents.
Bank statements, credit reports and other personal documents were seen being unearthed in the video.
Researchers for the Service Employees International Union, which is battling the banking giant over its use of non-union security employees, found the documents out in the open. They were found in trash bags that were left outside several New York City Chase branches.
According to Local 32 spokesman Matt Nerzig, the video shows "deposit slips, all kinds of materials and papers naturally assumed shredded in the bank."
Many bank customers are very careful with their personal information, and are not amused at the public revelations about account information.
"I will go to YouTube and look at the video, I mean, that's outrageous," said Chase customer Larry Feldstein.
"It's pretty scary that your data could be out there," added Robert Lipper, another Chase client.
Chase responded in a written statement, which read:
"We take these allegations and privacy of customer information very seriously and are investigating the information provided by the union. We have reached out to the union to get additional information."
What happened with Chase is the latest in a string of high-profile embarrassing YouTube videos, including the Michael Richards rant and some gems from politicians.
INVESTIGATIVE REPORT TURNS UP DISCARDED PERSONAL MEDICAL INFORMATION
There have been a number of investigative reports on how hospitals and doctors discard personal medical information. Recently, however, one journalist set out to see how dentists stacked up.
According to an article posted on Wednesday, May 21st to the website of Toledo, OH-based TV station WNWO, Aaron Brilbeck, an investigative journalist working at the station, set out to learn how local dental practitioners were disposing of sensitive medical information. To do so, he went dumpster diving in the trash behind several randomly chosen dental offices. And what he found will not be a surprise to NAIDDirect readers.
In one dumpster, Brilbeck found dozens of documents containing patients’ first and last names, home addresses, social security numbers, employment, and type of care.
As the investigation proceeded, the journalist actually found personal medical information in the dumpster of the dentist who heads the Toledo Dental Society.
Moral of the Story: Dentists Need Information Destruction Services Too.
RETIRED REALTOR DUMPS CLIENT FILES
A report by Tammy Vigil, found on the website of Englewood, Colorado’s FOX 31 on May 16th, describes the concern expressed by many former clients of a real estate agent who decided to toss out hundreds of files of personal information.
When asked about putting her former clients at risk of Identity Theft, the now retired agent said she had poured motor oil on the records to protect them.
It did not protect them.
PERSONAL INFORMATION ON AMATEUR ATHLETES FOUND IN DUMPSTER
According to a report posted on May 16th to the website of Lake Buena Vista, Fl-based TV station WFTV, a dumpster full of amateur athletes' records were found at a local storage complex. The report resulted from a tip to the TV station by a man who found the boxes. According to the report, the files actually filled the large trash container at the facility.
The report also claims that the records contained information on children who participated in local athletics programs and their guardians, including their Social Security numbers and copies of birth certificates.
In an unusual response, the organization responsible for discarding the information accused the TV station of trying to blow the transgression out of proportion.
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA WARNS VICTIMS OF DISPOSAL BREACH
According to an article appearing in the Jacksonville Business Journal on May 20th,
University of Florida officials are cautioning approximately 1,900 patients that their private health information was put at risk after their personal medical information was disposed of improperly when a doctor gave away his computer.
The computer contained personal information including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and Medicare numbers.
Click here to read the article as posted to the journal’s website.
