Did BP LOSE YOU? BP computer with personal info missing

National Briefing | South

Louisiana: BP Loses Personal Data

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: March 29, 2011

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A BP employee lost a laptop containing personal data belonging to thousands of residents who filed claims for compensation after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a company spokesman, Curtis Thomas, said Tuesday. Mr. Thomas said the company mailed letters on Monday to roughly 13,000 people whose data was stored on the computer, notifying them about the loss and offering to pay for their credit to be monitored. The company also reported the missing laptop to law enforcement, Mr. Thomas said. The computer was password-protected, but the information was not encrypted. The data included a spreadsheet of claimants’ names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses. Mr. Thomas said the company did not have any evidence that the personal information had been misused.