General Motors Warns Employees & Retirees Of Possible Identity Theft

General Motors recommended that 883 active and retired employees guard against possible identity theft after an employee downloaded personal information to their personal computer before retiring in May. In a letter to affected employees, GM explained that the now-retired employee copied two spreadsheets that contained names and social security numbers before leaving the firm.

“GM Security confirmed that the personal information was deleted on the former employee’s computer,” wrote John Quattrone, executive director for global product development human resources at General Motors. “We believe that no further copies of such data were made or distributed to other persons, though we cannot be certain of this.”

It is not clear whether the retired employee, whose name is not being released by GM, copied the information with malicious intent. GM is recommending that affected employees protect themselves from identity theft by activating a “fraud alert” available for free with the three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.

“GM has completed an investigation of this incident and is contacting the affected individuals to inform them of precautionary steps they can take to protect against possible identity fraud,” the company said in a statement. “No cases of fraud have been reported related to this incident.”

Did you receive the letter in question from GM? If not, what tips would you give those affected by the incident? Sound off in the comments.