JURIST - Paper Chase: Massive ID theft affects all 50 states, DC, ChoicePoint says

[JURIST] ChoicePoint [corporate website] announced Monday that residents in all 50 states and D.C. may have been affected by a security breach which resulted in criminals gaining access to its massive database of consumer information. California authorities say as many as 500,000 people may have been affected, but ChoicePoint believes that number to be closer to 145,000. Last week, thieves apparently used previously stolen identities to create what appeared to be legitimate businesses seeking ChoicePoint accounts. The thieves then opened up 50 accounts and received volumes of data on consumers, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers and credit reports. AP has more. According to a ChoicePoint statement [text] released Monday detailing the problem, the company is actively working with law enforcement agencies investigating the fraud. The statement also describes the company's plans to protect customer information in the future. Last week, Attorneys General in 38 states sent an open letter to ChoicePoint [AP report] urging the company to give "as much detailed information as possible about the breach and when it occurred."

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