A warning to current Chase and former Bank One employees. Your name and social security number could have been left on a spread sheet which was left on a desk bought by a Bossier City woman.
This Bossier woman who wants to remain anonymous says she bought the desk this week from a used furniture store in Shreveport. "We were cleaning it out and opened up the top drawer and noticed this big ole spread sheet with everybody's names and social security and everything else on it."
Among the things found, a note book with bank employees names and extensions as well as a spread sheet, 165 pages long containing over 4,100 employee names and Social Security Numbers. All were inside this desk which came from inside the former Bank One which in July of 2005 became what is now Chase bank. Chase officials got rid of some furniture from their downtown Shreveport office. This desk with the papers inside was ultimately bought by her.
The woman says, "You would think they'd keep your information privileged but I can get a hold of it whose to say anybody can get a hold of it.
We took the documents to the Shreveport Police Department's Identity Theft detectives.
James Lewis, Shreveport Police Identity Theft Detective, says, "The thing you want the most is Social Security Numbers.
Unfortunately this document provides 165 pages worth of Social Security Numbers." He goes on to say, "with your name and Social Security Numbers I have the ability to begin identity theft."
The documents were returned to bank officials. Steven Walker President of the Shreveport/Bossier operations admits the bank made a mistake. "The good news is it doesn't involve our customers, the bad news is it does involve some of our former employees."
Walker says they will immediately take the lists and begin contacting each person.
They will provide them with free credit monitoring.
They have also checked all the other desks they got rid of he says they are all empty.
Walker, "Now that you've given it back to us, which I appreciate very much you're going to help us solve what could've been a problem."
It is important to note customers names were not on the list but bank employees from all over the State of Louisiana were.
We contacted some of them but understandably none wanted to comment.
Now if you worked at Bank One around June of 1998 and your name was one of the 4,100 on that spreadsheet, the bank says someone will be getting in touch with you.