Water District Computers Containing Credit Card Data Stolen

[Lyte]

Hmm... I wonder if the water company is prepared to reimburse people for their losses. A computer which that much personal information on it should be locked down, passwored protected or have their data encrypted. They make it sound like the data is right there upon booting up!

Water District Computers Containing Credit Card Data Stolen
Theft Occured At Rincon Del Diablo Water District

ESCONDIDO. Calif. -- Burglars stole computers containing the names and credit card numbers of about 500 Rincon del Diablo Municipal Water District customers, it was reported Wednesday.

Burglars broke through a glass wall at the district's offices on North Iris Lane Tuesday and stole two computers, one from the customer service department and the other from engineering, Darlene Lynn, interim general manager, told the The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Names and credit card numbers were contained in the customer service computer, but Social Security numbers and birth dates were not on either machine, Lynn told the newspaper.

The number of credit card numbers contained in the database could be more than 500, Lynn said. So far, no fraud associated with the burglary has been reported, according to the water district.

Customers whose credit card numbers were on the computer were being notified by phone Tuesday, and all customers will get letters this week about the burglary, Lynn said. About 5 percent of the district's customers pay with credit cards on a regular basis, she told the Union-Tribune.

The damage and computer loss was estimated at about $2,000, Lynn said. To increase security, the district is working with a software provider to encrypt data on its computers and is planning to install fences around its building, the district said, according to the newspaper.

The district serves about 7,600 customers within a 42-square-mile service area that includes parts of the city of Escondido, unincorporated neighborhoods outside the city and parts of San Marcos and San Diego