Thieves who broke into the Diocese of Providence stole a computer that contained a major amount of personal data on diocese employees. more stories like this
Diocese spokesman Michael Guilfoyle said the theft occurred last weekend between Friday night and Saturday morning.
He said four computers were taken, and one had personal information on about 5,000 current and former Catholic school employees.
The theft possibly exposed names, addresses and Social Security numbers.
Guilfoyle said officials believe the thieves broke through a window, then used a bench to break down a steel door.
All diocese computers are password protected. The diocese is urging current and former employees who might have been affected to put a fraud alert on their credit reports.