According to a report posted on May 16th to the website of Lake Buena Vista, Fl-based TV station WFTV, a dumpster full of amateur athletes' records were found at a local storage complex. The report resulted from a tip to the TV station by a man who found the boxes.  According to the report, the files actually filled the large trash container at the facility.  

The report also claims that the records contained information on children who participated in local athletics programs and their guardians, including their Social Security numbers and copies of birth certificates. 

  In an unusual response, the organization responsible for discarding the information accused the TV station of trying to blow the transgression out of proportion.

According to a report appearing on the website of The Times on May 21st, a Scottish Public Health Minister is facing an outcry for her resignation after the disclosure that children’s medical records were left lying for months at a defunct medical facility.   

The report states that she allowed the situation to exist for months, fully aware of the fact that the materials were unguarded and exposed to the public.

A report by Tammy Vigil, found on the website of Englewood, Colorado’s FOX 31 on May 16th, describes the concern expressed by many former clients of a real estate agent who decided to toss out hundreds of files of personal information.  

When asked about putting her former clients at risk of Identity Theft, the now retired agent said she had poured motor oil on the records to protect them.

 It did not protect them.

A Fresno, CA real estate company has apologized for leaving dozens of files containing clients' personal information in a dumpster, according to a report by Christine Park of local ABC-affiliate KFSN.  

The TV station was alerted to the incident by another real estate professional who, although remaining anonymous, expressed his disgust in the callous disregard for clients’ private information.

  The report further states that the files have been placed in the custody of the state’s Department of Real Estate (DRE), which is looking into the matter. The DRE says the California Civil Code requires businesses to implement reasonable security procedures to protect customers' personal information.   The DRE failed to mention that the state also has a law requiring the destruction of discarded personal information.

A spokesperson for the firm blamed the incident on employee error.

June 7th article from the Associated Press reports that a Louisiana man went to the local high school to complain of records blowing across his lawn, only to find even more of them blowing around the campus.  

Of course, the story made the news because the records were confidential, and under School Board policy, are only to be seen by students, their parents or guardians, and authorized school personnel.

  In the article, the School District Superintendant is quoted if "materials were inappropriately discarded, proper action will be taken."

As reported by Deb Silverman of the Cincinnati Post on July 31st, Warren County (Ohio) Detectives are investigating how thousands of files containing personal information found their way into a neighborhood dumpster. The article states that the files were found by a passerby who informed the authorities. The report further speculates that investigators believe that it’s someone in the neighborhood who recently moved there from Florida – most likely a financial planner of some kind.

The dumpster behind a Navarro County, Texas school was approximately half full of records containing personal information such as parents’ and doctors’ notes, account information, Texas Workman’s Compensation Claim forms, employees’ names, addresses, social security numbers and medical information, according to a report by Julianne Dodge posted to the website of the Navarro County Times on July 19th.

One document is reported to have had 803 students’ social security numbers, student identification numbers, birth dates, home numbers and parents’ names.

The report does point out the severe price paid by others who have run afoul of Texas’ destruction requirement. It did not mention whether or not an investigation had begun.

When L.A. Weight Loss abruptly and quietly went out of business, they not only owed customers for services already paid for, they also left a dumpster full of personal records, according to an article by David Reynolds posted to the website of Star-News on July 17th. The clinics were located in Pennsylvania but, reportedly, are part of a national chain.

Among the records found in the trash by Star-News were clients' weekly progress reports, which are signed by clients, including medical history surveys, diet habits, weights, body measurements, and even psychiatric medications being taken.