A medical lab is notifying patients that a computer with sensitive personal information was stolen from its Prospect Plains Road sample-collection center.
LabCorp is identifying patients who may have had their names and Social Security numbers on a computer stolen from its Monroe Patient Service Center and notifying those people by mail, said Pamela Sherry, LabCorp's senior vice president of corporate communications.
"We have no reason to believe the information is being used improperly," Sherry said.
The information, which was scrambled and password protected, did not include birth dates or test results, Sherry said.
Sherry did not say how many patients had their personal information placed on the computer or how many people were receiving letters about the theft.
The Home News Tribune obtained a copy of a letter in which the Burlington, N.C.-based company advised patients to contact credit bureaus to place fraud alerts on their credit files to guard against possible fraud and identity theft.
On June 5, LabCorp reported a break-in at the facility that occurred sometime between 3:30 p.m. June 4 and 6:15 a.m. June 5, in which a computer was stolen, according to a report supplied by Monroe Township Police detective Sgt. Lawrence J. Linke.
The thief also attempted to remove a wall-mounted television, according to police.
Sherry said the computer was stolen from a secure location in a locked building, and the theft has prompted LabCorp to tighten its existing technology safeguards.
Patients may call the company at (800) 788-9091, Ext. 3925.
Monroe police have asked anyone with information on the incident to call detective Robert Bennett at (732) 521-0222, Ext. 152.
The facility collects samples of blood and urine from patients for testing at another site.