Mail Theft at Department of Consumer Affairs Facility Prompts Privacy Notification; Small Number of License Applicants May Be Affected.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A recent mail theft at a Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) facility may have exposed a small number of DCA licensees or prospective licensees to identity theft.

Mail that was delivered to DCA's Howe Avenue facility in Sacramento on Saturday March 4, 2006, was stolen from the facility. That mail may have included initial license applications and license renewal applications for seven Boards, two Committees and one Commission listed below. Initial license applications include Social Security Numbers (SSNs), while license renewal applications include only the last four digits of an applicant's SSN. Some applications may include driver's license numbers, and checks are usually included with both types of application.

The California Highway Patrol, which is responsible for the security of state buildings, and inspectors from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) are investigating the theft. It is believed that this theft affects a very small number of people, mainly people who sent initial license applications or license renewal applications to the Boards, Committees or Commission listed below between February 25, 2006, and March 3, 2006.

People who sent their initial license applications or renewal applications to any of the Boards, Committees or Commission listed below between February 25, 2006, and March 3, 2006, should call to see if their applications have arrived. If so, applicants do not need to do anything else.

If their applications have not arrived, applicants should visit the Web site for DCA's California Office of Privacy Protection (COPP) at www.privacy.ca.gov or call COPP toll-free at [phone] for information on steps they can take to protect themselves from the possibility of identity theft.

The Boards, Committees and Commission affected are:

--Medical Board of California - [phone]

--Board of Psychology [phone]

--Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology Board [phone]

--Veterinary Medical Board - [phone]

--Board of Podiatric Medicine - [phone]

--Physical Therapy Board of California [phone], ext. 8213

--Structural Pest Control Board - [phone]

--Committee on Dental Auxiliaries - [phone]

--Physician Assistant Committee - [phone]

--California Athletic Commission - [phone]

To mitigate this risk in the future, DCA has directed that no mail be delivered to the Howe Avenue facility on Saturdays from now on. Instead mail will be delivered only during normal business hours Monday through Friday, when staff are present in the building.