Laptop with Home Depot Employees' Personal Information Stolen

class=”ap-story-p”> According to the news report, the computer contained the personal information of 10,000 employees of the Atlanta-based company, but no customer information. The personal information included the names, home addresses and Social Security numbers of certain Home Depot employees, mostly in the Northeast, a spokesperson for the company told the AP.

class=”ap-story-p”>”We have no reason to believe that the data contained on the laptop was the target of theft, or that any personal information was accessed or used improperly,” Ron DeFeo, a Home Depot spokesman, told the wire service.

class=”ap-story-p”>The home improvement chain has already notified the 10,000 affected workers of the theft in a letter and was arranging free credit-monitoring services for them.

class=”ap-story-p”> Other retail stores that have been the most recent victims of data theft are Gap Inc and Neiman Marcus.

Gap reported at the beginning of October that an unencrypted computer containing the Social Security numbers of about 80,000 job applicants had been stolen (See Gap Reports Potential Job Applicants’ Social Security Numbers Compromise ).

Neiman Marcus reported in April that thieves made away with computer equipment with personal information of about 160,000 current and former employees from a benefits consultant (See Neiman Marcus Announces Employee Data Theft ).