A laptop computer containing personal information on 219 Minnesotans licensed by the state Commerce Department was stolen from one of its Pennsylvania vendors earlier this month and has not been recovered, the department announced Friday.
The laptop was stolen from an employee of Promissor Corporation in Philadelphia on Dec. 6 and reported to the Philadelphia Police Department. The Commerce Department uses Promissor to manage licensing data for the real estate, mortgage, and debt collection industries in Minnesota.
Promissor notified Commerce Department officials about the theft on Dec. 21, the department said in a news release. Since then, agency staff has been working with the vendor to identify the impact on Minnesota licensees.
The laptop was used to support and test the real estate, abstractors, appraisers and debt collection licensing system and database used by several states, including Minnesota.
The department said Promissor on Friday provided a list of the Minnesotans affected by the theft, and the agency's staff was phoning the licensees to notify them and advise them on how to protect their identity.