A municipal tax collection agency in Ohio has confirmed it lost personal data for an estimated 50,000 people who filed tax forms with the agency.
The Regional Income Tax Agency (RITA) reported that a backup DVD with the information is missing and that it will provide one year of free credit monitoring to those affected.
The DVD contains copies of income tax documents submitted on or before June 2012. It possibly included names, addresses, Social Security numbers and dates of birth, agency officials said.
Amy L. Arrighia, an attorney with the agency, said nothing in an internal investigation indicates that the DVD was stolen or that there has been any misuse of information. "Our investigation to locate the missing DVD led us to the conclusion that it was most likely destroyed,” she said.
RITA reported that it discovered that the DVD was missing while preparing to destroy discs in November. RITA previously lost information on an estimated 700 taxpayers in 2006 when a laptop was stolen from an employee. The agency serves communities throughout northeast Ohio.
