Farmers' Social Security Numbers Released 1 hour, 22 Minutes ago

Source from:  news.yahoo.com WASHINGTON 02/16/2006

The Agriculture Department said Wednesday it had accidentally released the Social Security and tax identification numbers of 350,000 tobacco farmers. The agency said it inadvertently released the data in response to Freedom of Information Act requests about the tobacco buyout program. The information went to eight different people or groups. Those who received the information agreed not to disclose it, to destroy any copies and to return computer disks containing the data, officials said. The department is notifying farmers and tobacco quota holders who were affected and encouraging them to get copies of their credit reports to make sure their credit records have not been compromised. People can find out how to request free copies of their credit reports at https://http://www.annualcreditreport.com or through the Federal Trade Commission's Web site at http://onguardonline.gov/idtheft.html. The government created the $10 billion tobacco buyout to end a Depression-era program that set price and production controls on American-grown tobacco. The lion's share of the buyout is going to farmers in North Carolina, Kentucky and Tennessee. Enditem