After a theft of several laptops last month, thousands of Charter Communications personnel have had their personal data stolen. This affects both current and former employees. Those affected were sent letters explaining that these laptops were stolen from company property. Data stolen includes social security numbers, birth dates and driver license numbers. Many of those involved are in the South Carolina area. The theft is being investigated.

More Ways to Protect Yourself

Many of us use the computer to save passwords, important social security and credit card numbers, bank account numbers and more. When doing so, in addition to having a firewall and protection software, be sure to password protect files that have sensitive data. Make the password something you can keep track of, but that contains a combination of letters and numbers in upper and lower case. This makes it harder for thieves to gain access to this information, should your computer be breached. Also, use encryption for sensitive files.

Keep in mind that this website offers a discount for signing up for Lifelock identity theft protection. You can never be too careful and the peace of mind that comes with protecting your personal information will be well worth taking a little time to get it set up.