Personal California birth records found in "unsecure" location

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) reported that a "reel" containing birth records of people born in the state in 1974 was found in an "unsecure" location.

How many victims? 2,000.

What type of personal information? Names, addresses, Social Security numbers, medical information, and parent information.

What happened? State officials are not aware if the data was improperly used and declined to share where it was found. The data found belongs to people born from May to September of 1974 in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, and Tehama.

What was the response? A hot line and email address has been set up to provide further information. The CDPH recommends victims monitor their credit information for potential identity theft and consider placing a fraud alert on their file.

Source: www.insidebayarea.com, The Oakland Tribune, “Possible security breach: California says birth records found in unsecure location,” May 7, 2013.