State computer stolen with data on 530 Seattle workers

A laptop computer with information on about 530 workers at 50 Seattle-area employers has been stolen from a state Employment Security Department auditor.

None of the information — including names, Social Security numbers and earnings data — has been used for criminal purposes, as far as the department knows.

"Thieves finding these items often want to sell them quickly. They wipe out the hard drives and resell them, so there's a good chance the data is gone," spokeswoman Sheryl Hutchison said.

But to be safe, the department is calling and sending letters to companies whose employees' data was on the laptop. It does not have the addresses or phone numbers of affected workers.

Earlier today, the department issued a news release estimating the number of employees affected at 826 and the number of companies at 65. That estimate has gone down as people there learn more about what information was on the computer.

The department audits about 2 percent of employers each year for unemployment insurance purposes. Auditors carry laptops with employees' names, Social Security numbers and pay information to assist in the audits.

For the latest information and a link to affected companies, visit http://fortress.wa.gov/esd/portal/dataprivacy.

The stolen information was for the months that each company was audited. People who began working for those companies after the audit month should not be affected.

Melissa Allison: 206-464-3312 or mallison@seattletimes.com