(MSPAlliance) - Tuesday, May 2, 2006 - < ?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Aetna, a leading health insurance company, announced Wednesday that a laptop computer containing personal information on 38,000 people was stolen from an employee's car. Information on employees of two companies that do business with Aetna was taken, and the data included names, addresses and Social Security numbers, though not any banking information or health claim data.
The company, with about 27.9 million members, said it is working to notify all those affected by the theft and offered to pay for credit monitoring services to help prevent potential misuse of information. There is no indication that the laptop data has been compromised, though Aetna announced it regrets the incident and has apologized to its members.
The car was broken into while in an outdoor parking lot, while Aetna said the employee whose car the computer was stolen from "did not follow our corporate policies." The company is working with law enforcement authorities to solve the crime.
