A computer reported missing two months ago by the technology subsidiary of insurance broker Marsh, CS STARS, with personal information from more than 540,000 injured New York workers, has been recovered, CS STARS announced last week.
Chicago-based CS STARS, in a statement, said the computer containing the names, addresses, telephone and Social Security numbers of individuals receiving workers' compensation benefits managed through New York's Special Funds Conservation Committee was found and secured.
CS STARS said the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is still conducting an investigation, said it is reasonably sure there was no use of the data.
An FBI spokesperson in Chicago said the desktop computer is being tested to see if the information was ever accessed. She confirmed that the FBI is reasonably certain there was no use of the data.
She said an investigation continues and she could not comment further on where the computer was located or if it involved theft. She also declined to say how long it will be before the investigation is completed.
Alfred J. Modugno, a spokesperson for Marsh, explained that a computer containing the information was lost on May 9, but the loss was not reported to management until June 19. The Special Funds Committee was alerted of the problem on June 29, after an investigation by MMC management and MMC's investigative services unit, Kroll, confirmed the hardware was missing.
Special Funds Conservation Committee manages and maintains New York state's Special Disability Fund and the Fund for Reopened Cases.
Two weeks ago, CS STARS mailed letters to the 540,000 people affected by this incident. The company offered each person a number of free services and coverage, including daily monitoring of national credit reports for 12 months and $25,000 in identity theft insurance.
The company said it would continue to offer these services and coverage to each person. It added that it would follow up with informing those affected by the loss about news of the recovery.
The company declined to make any additional comments.
According to Karen Allen, director of operations for Special Funds, the desktop was sent to CS STARS for data conversion. It was received by the company at its secure facility, but it remained a mystery whether the computer was misplaced or stolen.
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