On January 31, 2008, the locked headquarters of the Housing Authority of the County of Butte was illegally entered and some Housing Authority computers were stolen. It has been determined that one or more of these computers contained data regarding former and current tenants (both Public Housing and Section 8), landlords, and vendors, some of which may be of a sensitive, personal nature. In some cases, this data may include name, social security number, and birthdate. These computers were password protected, but it must be assumed that the thieves, having physical access to the harddrives, will be able to access the data if that is their goal.

The data contained on these computers affects those tenants, landlords, vendors, and employees who were on file with the Housing Authority on or before 2006. Letters detailing this incident were mailed out to most of those people believed to be affected.

However, if you did not receive a letter and wish to know if this theft affects you, please call the Housing Authority at (530)895-4474.

For those who are affected, the contact information for three of the major credit reporting bureaus is listed below. It is highly recommended that you contact one of these agencies and place a "fraud alert" on your credit report. Any one of these agencies can also provide a copy of your credit report:

1. Equifax: (800)525-6285 or www.equifax.com

2. Experian (formerly TRW): (888)EXPERIAN or (888)397-3742, or www.experian.com

3. Trans Union: (800)680-7289 or, to order credit report (800)888-4213, or www.transunion.com



For further information on how you can protect yourself against identity fraud, please visit these sites:

The California Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection

The Federal Trade Commission - Identity Theft, Privacy, and Security