It only took a few minutes to realize the paperwork was no trash. Rather, it included information like peoples’ lives, names, addresses, bank accounts, social security numbers, driver license numbers, and birth dates.
The people these files belong to have no clue their information was sitting in a trash bin Monday evening.
But Attorney David Naworski told us he knew about them. We asked him if the folders came from his office, and if he threw them away. Naworski replied yes to both questions.
Naworski then told us he’s a collections attorney who was contracted by a local bank, where the information in the files came from. But Naworski added that these are all old accounts that have been closed.
Stacy Yent’s name was among the dozens of folders sitting in the garbage. We tracked her down from the information in her file.
“I’m appalled, it’s terrifying to think now in this age with identity theft, some people take years to get it corrected,” said Yent.
She told us her identity was stolen years ago in
“All you need is a social security number and anyone could steal your identity by opening up accounts,” said Landgraf.
In 2005, the Texas Legislature passed the Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act. It requires businesses to erase or shred sensitive information that belongs to customers.
Naworski told us he’s not familiar with that law and says “I don’t shred anything.”
According to the attorney general’s office, a business found in violation of the law can face up to a $50,000 fine per violation.
