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Identity Theft

Data Security Incident

Information on the Data Security Incident of Dec. 15-20, 2022

From December 15, 2022, through December 20, 2022, social security numbers for individuals who were in the custody of the Boulder County Jail were inadvertently made accessible to members of the public who accessed the Daily Listing Report on the jail’s website. The Daily Listing Report is a listing of the name, race, sex, physical description, booking date and current charges of each individual in the custody of the Sheriff’s Office. Due to an error that occurred on December 15, 2022, information from a data field containing social security numbers was wrongfully imported into the column of the Daily Listing Report that was supposed to display individuals’ current charges. As a result of the error, if a website user exported the Daily Listing Report to an Excel spreadsheet between December 15 and 20, the exported file displayed the social security numbers of individuals in the jail’s custody.

When it was brought to our attention on December 20, 2022, that the social security numbers were accessible in the exported versions of the Daily Listing Report, immediate action was taken. The export feature was removed from the website and the social security numbers were removed from the data set from which the spreadsheet was generated. Changes to processes have been made to ensure that this never happens again.
At this time, we have not received any reports of identity theft that resulted from the data security incident. Nonetheless, we are committed to helping affected individuals protect themselves against the possibility of identity theft and are therefore providing those individuals with a free one-year enrollment in identity theft detection and protection service offered by Experian IdentityWorks.

Who is eligible to enroll in the IdentityWorks service at no cost?

Individuals who were in the custody of the Boulder County Jail from December 15, 2022, through December 20, 2022, and whose social security numbers were listed are eligible for a free one-year enrollment in IdentityWorks. These individuals include the following people:

  • Individuals released from the Boulder County Jail from December 15-20, 2022
  • Individuals participating in alternate sentencing programs such as work release and day reporting from December 15-20, 2022
  • Individuals lodged in the Boulder County Jail from December 15-20, 2022
  • Individuals who from December 15-22, 2022, were temporarily lodged in other facilities on Boulder County charges. This includes individuals at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, individuals on writs to other jails, and individuals on furlough.

If you were in the jail’s custody from December 15-20, 2022, and need to determine whether your data was part of the security incident, please call 303-441-4601 (Monday – Friday 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM).

How do I enroll in IdentityWorks?

Each person impacted by the data security incident has been assigned a unique activation code that they must provide to IdentityWorks when enrolling in the service. Letters containing inmates’ activation codes have been sent to inmates affected by the incident. Inmates who have not received a letter can obtain their activation code by presenting a photo identification card to Reception at the Boulder County Jail, 3200 Airport Road in Boulder.

When do I need to enroll?

The deadline to enroll is April 9, 2023.

Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft

Types of identity theft

Your privacy data may be used to impersonate you to open a bank account, apply for a credit card, receive unemployment payments, or file a fraudulent tax return. There are several actions you can take to prevent this situation from impacting you.

Actions you should consider taking

  • Review your financial statements
  • Obtain a free credit report from the major credit agencies
  • Place a fraud alert on your account with each of the major credit agencies
  • Notify banks or credit card companies of applications made without your permission
  • Notify the Colorado Department of Labor for a fraudulent unemployment application
  • Notify the Internal Revenue Service for fraudulent tax filings

How to order a free credit report

The three credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — have central website, toll-free telephone number, and a mailing address so you can order a free credit report in one action. Do not contact the three credit bureaus individually. Do not pay for your credit report, it is free when you use one of the official methods:

How to place a fraud alert on your credit

Each of the three credit bureaus allows you to place a fraud alert on your credit. They offer a website and a toll-free phone number for making this request.

Equifax
(800) 685-1111
www.equifax.com

Experian
(888) 397-3742
www.experian.com

TransUnion
(800) 909-8872
www.transunion.com

How to report other forms of identity theft

If you suspect your identity has been used to apply for unemployment insurance, use the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s fraud reporting tool: https://cdle.colorado.gov/fraud-prevention

If you suspect your identity has been used in tax fraud, use the Internal Revenue Service’s fraud reporting tool: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-central

Contact Us

Sheriff's Office

Main: 303-441-3600
Alternate: 303-441-4444
Fax: 303-441-4739

bcso@bouldercounty.gov

Location

Sheriff's Headquarters
5600 Flatiron Parkway
Boulder, CO 80301
Map and Directions

Website

Sheriff's website
Head Quarters Lobby Hours:
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday-Friday

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