Your identity up for grabs: RMV tosses unshredded data in trash

The Registry of Motor Vehicles is failing to shred thousands of records containing sensitive customer information, leaving countless people vulnerable to identity theft and fraud, a Herald investigation has found.

At a Registry branch in Boston this week, piles of records sat in unlocked bins on the street for two hours until a recycling company collected them. The unshredded records included Social Security numbers, addresses, birth dates and medical data.

``I am dumbfounded that a state agency would be so careless with personal information that could be used to steal someone's identity and cause irreparable harm to them,'' said Sen. Jarrett Barrios (D-Cambridge), who has sponsored identity theft legislation.

Registrar of Motor Vehicles Kim Hinden acknowledged last night that drivers' personal information is not properly destroyed at some Registry branches. She said the agency's policy will be changed immediately as a result of the Herald's investigation.

``Starting tonight, every piece of information will be required to be shredded,'' Hinden said. ``That practice (currently) occurs in some branches and not in others.''

At the branch on Washington Street in Chinatown investigated by the Herald this week, the RMV's existing method of disposing of drivers' private records left the data vulnerable to access by countless people.

The records are put on the street in the morning by a Registry official who is also responsible for opening the branch to employees and calling the recycling company if it is late.

On Tuesday morning, a driver for Jet-A-Way recycling did not arrive until 8 a.m., leaving the records on the street in unlocked bins for two hours. After dumping the contents of the bins into the back of a dump truck, the driver transported them to FCR Boston, a Charlestown facility where they are bundled and prepared for shipment to final destinations out of state, the driver of the Jet-A-Way truck said.

As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, another truck had not arrived at FCR to pick up the documents, which could be viewed by an unknown number of people in the facility.
``It's shocking,'' said state Rep. Michael A. Costello (D-Newburyport), another sponsor of identity theft legislation. ``The RMV has done a lot to improve its image. Over the past decade they've become more consumer friendly, but these actions could allow the biggest inconvenience a consumer could ever face.''

Identity theft can hurtle its victims into a devastating financial tailspin, leaving them vulnerable to fraudulent credit charges, bankruptcy and illegal activities perpetrated in their name. Thieves are particularly eager for Social Security numbers.
State law on protecting consumer information remains vague. While public records law requires state agencies keep all records for seven years unless specifically authorized to destroy them, it offers no guidelines for how the information should be discarded.

The legislation filed by Barrios and Costello would make it a crime for public or private entities to fail to take precautions to protect consumer information even after it is discarded.

Hinden pledged immediately to buy enough shredders to destroy all the RMV's discarded documents. She said a task force also will be formed today to monitor the agency's progress.

``I will not tolerate breaches of people's personal information,'' she said. ``That's something we take very seriously.''
(Boston Herald)