The Rochester Housing Authority says a security breach has caused the names and social security numbers of up to 180 residents to be compromised.
RHA executive director Alex Castro says a housing specialist printed out a list containing the names and social security numbers of the residents of Lexington Court for a resident council president who wanted to do some outreach. "This information is available for the staff, but there is a confidentiality agreement that every staff member signs that they know not to share that information. Unfortunately, this person did not follow through."
Castro says the employee has been fired.
He says the Housing Authority has retrieved and shredded the two only known copies of the data. There have not been any reports by residents of identity theft. "They are very appreciative that we acted so quickly and that we are not only here but going door to door as well. Some of our folks our seniors, some of our folks don't read and write and some of them only speak Spanish or another language. We're not being passive, we're making sure we go out there and that everyone is informed."
The Housing Authority is providing the residents with financial monitoring services for a year.
