3.3 Million Affected in Mass Idenity Theft

In what is believe to be the largest ever breach of secure and private information, nearly 3.3 million people with student loans became the victims of a mass identity theft.

Names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other personal data were stolen using a portable media device. The Educational Credit Management Corp - a nonprofit guarantor of federal student loans is location in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In a growing string of mass identity theft, last weeks theft at ECMC is just another incident. Earlier this month, a former employee of HSBC Holdings allegedly stole data on 24,000 Swiss private bank accounts. In 2005, an estimated 40 million accounts serviced by the credit card payment processing company, CardSystems were compromised.

ECMC services more than $11 billion in student loans. The 320 employees at the St. Paul headquarters all have key card access and their security is being reviewed.

Read more...

Police Chief Lies about Criminal Past

Fired by the Lewisville, Minnesota City Council last Wednesday, former police chief Dave Kleinschmidt had a criminal past and lied about his previous employment.

He lied to investigators about a car crash 2000 when he was a private citizen - that an unknown person had hit his car and fled, however, the person was a friend of Kleinschmidt's.

He was convicted of falsifying a police report - a conviction that was later overlooked when he was hired in February 2008. He was named police chief a year later. City officials don't agree on whether he passed a background check, the standard for all city employees. They cannot determine if council members were aware of his conviction before they hired him.

"The council has found that Mr. Kleinschmidt was not truthful, honest and candid with the council," the board wrote in a resolution to fire the chief.

City officials are considering disbanding the troubled Lewisville police department.

Read more...

Minnesota Stalling on E-Verify

Minnesota governer Tim Pawlenty ordered that all state agencies and contracters use the E-Verify system for new employees eighteen months ago. A recent state audit found the use of E-Verify to be loose at best. The governer's own office hasn't screened any new hires since the mandate came down.

No Minnesota state agency has used the federal electronic identity-check system known as E-Verify, according to the office of the Legislative Auditor. All in all over 7,000 workers were hired last year.

The lack of oversight is bureacracy. The state is attempting to work with a vendor to secure a centralized system for screening the new hires. Presumably, they need a specific process.

E-Verify, when used properly is a very effective means to deter illegal immigration at the very source of the problem. The burden of the administration of this extremely effective program falls into the employers lap. Lack of oversight could cause serious problems if a company's program was audited.

Minnesota state agencies will presumably begin using this program, hopefully the stall has given them the time needed to create an excellent oversight program

Read more...