Laptop stolen from Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities may compromise 600+ people

CLEVELAND - The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities has notified 613 people who receive its services that their names and birthdates may have been on the hard drive of a laptop stolen from an employee’s car in North Royalton.

The laptop itself was password protected. The Board of DD believes that, although the information on the laptop could be used for identity theft, the likelihood is that it was stolen for its street value rather than any personal information.

In its letter notifying those potentially affected by the theft, the Board of DD recommended people place a fraud alert on their credit files and provided instructions on how to do that. A fraud alert tells creditors to contact an individual before they open any new accounts or change existing accounts. Those who have never had a credit card or utilities in their name, paid rent or borrowed money from a bank, probably will have no credit file and will not need to place a fraud alert.

The Board of DD has also provided information about what individuals should do if they find any suspicious activity on their credit reports or have reason to believe their information is being misused.

Staff members are available to help individuals who may need assistance in taking the appropriate steps to ensure their personal information isn't being misused.