Jan 4 (Reuters) - Connecticut's attorney general is
investigating a possible data breach in which Wells Fargo & Co
may have disclosed customer Social Security numbers as
part of a fraud investigation.
The possible breach is the latest wrinkle in a probe into
whether state employees falsified financial information on
applications submitted for food benefits issued in the
aftermath of Hurricane Irene, which struck the U.S. East Coast
last fall.
The state Department of Social Services had sent subpoenas
to Wells Fargo seeking financial records as part of the
investigation, according to a news release issued by Attorney
General George Jepsen on Wednesday. The fourth-largest U.S.
bank then may have provided customers copies of the subpoenas,
which included Social Security numbers of multiple individuals,
according to the statement.
Jepsen sent a letter to Wells Fargo asking for an
explanation of why the bank may have disclosed the information.
Under Connecticut law, individuals or entities entrusted with
Social Security numbers can't improperly disclose them.
Wells Fargo spokesman Kevin Friedlander said the bank's
focus is on its customers and other individuals who were
affected. The bank will offer them the option of signing up for
identity theft protection, he said.
Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy last month announced an
investigation into the benefits, which were made available to
low-income Connecticut residents who incurred disaster-related
expenses from Irene.
Attorney Rich Rochlin, who represents some of the state
employees under investigation, raised questions about the
subpoenas in a news conference on Tuesday. He said he knows of
two customers who received subpoenas containing a total of 130
names and Social Security numbers.
(Reporting By Rick Rothacker)
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