A laptop containing the social security numbers and
otherpersonal data of 280,000 New York pensioners has been
stolen.
The latest US
data theft scare comes after the laptop was stolen from a
consultant at a restaurant.
The consultant was employed by New York's Financial Information
Services Agency (FISA).
The consultant was authorised to hold information on the members
of the city's various pension plans.
It is not known whether the laptop was password-protected or
whether the data was encrypted.
The city said the exact number of pensioners potentially
affected by the theft was unknown, but it has send letters to all
280,000 believed to be at risk, warning them of the theft.