That's Your Credit Card Number in the Trash Bin

by Jordan Yerman | April 18, 2007 at 04:14 pm

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Yet another big company caught in the act of slipshod information management. One would think that a company would pay closer attention to how such items as credit card numbers and medical records were disposed of, but evidently one would be wrong:

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sued CVS Corp. on Tuesday, alleging pharmacy employees dumped credit card numbers, medical information and other sensitive material from more than 1,000 customers into a garbage container. At $500 per record, CVS faces a very stiff fine.

The Rhode Island company was accused of failing to protect its customers from identity theft at the store in Liberty, about 45 miles northeast of Houston. The lawsuit alleges employees dumped the records behind a store that apparently was being vacated by CVS.

CVS did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Tuesday.

The records, found March 19, included credit and debit card numbers and prescription forms that had customers' names, addresses, dates of birth and types of medications, Abbott said.

"Our personal information, our medical records are supposed to be protected," said 69-year-old Cora Bechtel, one of the customers whose records were found behind the store. "When it's exposed, it's scary,"