Lifeblood Says Laptops With Info Missing

FAST FACTS:

Lifeblood says two laptop computers are missing
Computers have personal information on them
Police and private investigator helping
george.brown@wreg.com

(Memphis 2/13/2008) Lifeblood is contacting donors to warn them two laptop computers are missing and contain private, personal information.

The laptops are reportedly missing from a locked room, "Access to the information, protected by two separate and encrypted passwords, was available only to Lifeblood staff members. In addition, the data was contained in a specially designed database that required a high level of training to access and use. Please note that just because you received this letter does not mean that your information was necessarily exposed to any third party."

Lifeblood says the information on the laptops includes your name, last address provided, date of birth, gender, and date of last blood donation or attempted blood donation, "If you provided the following information, it may also be included: social security number, driver's license information, marital status, ethnic background, email, and phone numbers. If you actually made a blood donation in the past, your blood type and cholesterol result may be included in the information."

Memphis police and a private investigator are said to be working on finding the two missing laptop computers.

If you are concerned, you can call Lifeblood at 1-888-Lifeblood (1-888-543-3256) or at 901-529-6337.

Full Press Release from Lifeblood:

Lifeblood | Mid-South Regional Blood Center | 1040 Madison Avenue | Memphis, TN 38104 | 901-522-8585 | http://www.lifeblood.org

February 13, 2008

Dear Lifeblood Donor:

According to our records, since 1990 you have made or attempted to make a blood product donation through the Mid-South

Regional Blood Center (Lifeblood). We are contacting you about a situation that potentially involves your personal information.

Two laptop computers are confirmed to be missing from Lifeblood's possession. Unfortunately, the laptops contained some of your personal information which the blood center maintained as required by the FDA to protect the health and safety of

patients to whom blood or blood products might be transfused. The personal information at issue includes your name, last address provided to us, date of birth, gender, and date of your last blood donation or attempted blood donation. If you provided the following information, it may also be included: social security number, driver's license information, marital

status, ethnic background, email, and phone numbers. If you actually made a blood donation in the past, your blood type and

cholesterol result may be included in the information.

The laptops were kept in a locked room when they were not being used by the blood center's staff to facilitate the registration of blood donors. Access to the information, protected by two separate and encrypted passwords, was available only to

Lifeblood staff members. In addition, the data was contained in a specially designed database that required a high level of training to access and use.

Please note that just because you received this letter does not mean that your information was necessarily exposed to any

third party. Lifeblood takes protecting donor information very seriously, and we are taking a conservative approach in this matter by notifying all of our current and past donors. We have policies and procedures designed to protect your health and personal information, and we deeply regret that these policies and procedures may have been breached.

We are concerned that the computers have been stolen, but we feel that it is most likely that they were taken in order to be pawned for cash, not for access to the data. However, we cannot assume that attempts to access the personal data have not or will not occur. Therefore, we encourage you to take precautions to reduce any potential risk to you and your credit, such as placing a fraud alert with a credit reporting agency and reviewing your credit reports periodically.

We are enclosing information about placing a fraud alert on your credit report, and we encourage you to do so. You may also find helpful

materials outlining precautionary steps you can take at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer.../id04.shtm and at

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft.

The Memphis police are currently investigating the incident. We have also engaged the services of a private investigator to assist in recovering the laptops. A reward is being offered for information leading to their return, and we remain hopeful that we will recover them.

Since discovery of these missing laptops, Lifeblood has implemented additional security measures to further protect access to donor information. We have installed new technology that allows all the data to be eliminated if the laptops are out of our possession. We have also eliminated all but the last four digits of our donors' Social Security numbers in the information that is stored on the laptops.

The FDA-regulated software that we use to manage donor information will be updated this spring, and during that upgrade we will eliminate Social Security numbers in the master database as well.

Your gift to Lifeblood has saved lives in our community. On behalf of the patients and their families, we are grateful for your past and future support. You may call us at 1-888-Lifeblood (1-888-543-3256) or at 901-529-6337 if you have questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Edward P. Scott, M.D.

President and CEO

Information regarding fraud alert

1. How to place a fraud alert on your credit report

It is recommended to place a "fraud alert" on your

credit file with the three major credit bureaus. This is a

free service that will request creditors to verify your

identity before opening a new account. You may place

an Initial 90-day Fraud Alert by calling any one of the

three nationwide credit reporting companies, listed

below. The agency that accepts your request is

required to share your request with the other two credit

reporting companies, which will add the alert to your

file or request that you provide them additional

information. You will receive a confirmation when an

alert is added to your file. If you do not receive a

confirmation from a company, you should contact that

company directly to place a fraud alert.

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; http://www.equifax.com; P.O.

Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742);

http://www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; http://www.transunion.com;

Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790,

Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're

entitled to order one free copy of your credit report

from each of the three consumer reporting companies,

and, if you so request, only the last four digits of your

Social Security number will appear on your credit

reports.

Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully.

Check that information, like your Social Security number,

address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct.

Look especially for these indicators of possible

fraudulent activity:

- inquiries from companies you haven't contacted;

- accounts you didn't open;

- unfamiliar accounts, especially ones that have been

newly opened;

- debts or unauthorized charges on your accounts

that you can't explain;

- incorrect Social Security Number, name or initials;

- addresses that you have not lived at; and

- employers that you have never worked for.

Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your

initial credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission

(FTC) recommends that you check your credit reports

periodically. Victim information sometimes is held for

use or shared among a group of thieves at different

times. Checking your credit reports from time to time

can help you spot problems and address them

immediately.

2. Facts about fraud alerts

Before you add a fraud alert to your credit report,

be aware of these effects:

- You may be asked to provide proof of your

identification when applying for instant credit. In

some cases, the presence of a fraud alert may limit

your ability to receive instant credit for in-store

purchases that you plan to take possession of

immediately.

- Creditors may contact you by phone at a

designated number before opening a new account.

- A fraud alert should not interfere with the daily use

of credit cards or banking or checking accounts.

The length of time that an alert stays on your record

varies for each credit bureau. You can request an

extension when the initial period has ended.

3. If you are a victim of identity theft

If you find evidence of identity of theft on your credit

reports, take these steps:

- Visit the FTC website to learn about immediate

steps to take:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/co



nsumers/defend.html.

- Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have

been tampered with, opened fraudulently, or show

unauthorized activity.

- File a police report and get a copy to submit to

creditors and others that may require proof of a

crime.

- Contact the credit bureaus to place a victim

statement on your account.

- File a complaint with the FTC online at

http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ or by calling

877-438-4338.

- If you discover misuse of your Social Security

Number, call the Social Security Fraud Hotline,

800-269-0271.

- Keep a record of communications with credit

bureaus, creditors, financial institutions, and police,

including dates.