I received a notice from my employer that they were changing the numbers of the salesmen to be identified. These are three digit numbers. When the new number arrived, it was contained in a list with all the other sale associates that included our names, addresses, rate of pay, and social security numbers. I have 300 employees’ personal employment information. What scares me is that they have mine. Can my employer legally give my information to other employees without my consent?
Posted 06-10-2001
Ann Kiernan responds:
WOW. Get to a lawyer immediately. They are going to say it was a mistake, but they have a duty to take reasonable care with sensitive information. This is not reasonable care!
The employer should immediately require everyone who received this information to shred it. If anyone is found to have used the information for fraudulent purposes, they should be fired and criminally prosecuted. I think at this point you should put your efforts into preventing damage that could arise from this.
Whether you could sue for big money is another matter. But with 300 potential plaintiffs, even a small recovery per person could be big. Good luck!
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