Arizona home builder walks away and leaves personal information behind
Technorati Tag: Security Breach
Date Reported:
11/18/08
Organization:
Randall Martin Home (Company website no longer responding)
Contractor/Consultant/Branch:
None
Location:
Gilbert, Arizona
Victims:
Customers
Number Affected:
Unknown
Types of Data:
Personal information including "loan applications, Social Security numbers and bank account information"
Breach Description:
"Boxes containing loan applications, Social Security numbers and bank account information for residents of a Gilbert neighborhood were discovered in a ransacked model home abandoned by a bankrupt developer."
Reference URL:
The Arizona Republic
KNXV Channel 15 News
Report Credit:
Chelsea Schneider, The Arizona Republic
Response:
From the online sources cited above:
Boxes containing loan applications, Social Security numbers and bank account information for residents of a Gilbert neighborhood were discovered in a ransacked model home abandoned by a bankrupt developer.
[Evan] The builder, Randall Martin Home did not declare bankruptcy, they just decided that they were "walking away". Does "walking away" include abandoning lots, partially finishing homes (including ones that customers have money tied up in), ignoring warranty work on finished homes, not paying bills to subcontractors (resulting in mechanics liens against homes owned by customers)? We find, in at least this instance, that the company also walked away from any obligation to protect customer information. Randall Martin Home was founded and largely managed by (may need subscription).
Julio Gonzalez stumbled upon stacks of sensitive homeowner information in the garage of a vacant model home.
Gonzalez says a neighbor asked him to look into it after she suspected someone had ransacked the home.
Several Higley Park model homes have been broken into since builder Randall Martin ceased operations.
He's now notifying residents to come collect the documents.
Several of the folders contain personal information of previous homeowners, and Gonzalez is attempting to call those people even though many of the documents are dated back to 2005.
He plans to shred any records that go unclaimed.
Gonzalez reported the records to Gilbert police right after he found them but was told the department couldn't take them.
The Higley Park Homeowners Association, run by Associated Asset Management, also told residents at their annual HOA meeting Monday night they weren't responsible for the records either.
Several of the residents didn't want to take their files to avoid the possibility of being liable for previous homeowners' information.
"I was upset because we have been victims of identity theft before," Gonzalez said.
This discovery is yet another example of problems Higley Park homeowners have faced following Randall Martin walking away from the neighborhood in February.
The 172 lots the builder failed to develop were sold at a trustee sale in late October.
Gilbert police do not believe anyone stole or tampered with the paperwork.
Commentary:
From Randy Bury's summary on LinkedIn; "In April 2004, Randy Bury walked away from the corporate ladder and decided to pursue his longtime dream of starting his own homebuilding company." A common theme is walking away.
To file complaints with the Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, click here. Also from the Arizona Attorney General's web site are the current laws, including Identity Theft Law - Ariz. Rev. Stat. ยง 13-2008, Security Breach Law A.R.S. 44-7501, and Retailer use of personal identifying information A.R.S 44-7701.
Past Breaches:
Unknown
11/18/08
Organization:
Randall Martin Home (Company website no longer responding)
Contractor/Consultant/Branch:
None
Location:
Gilbert, Arizona
Victims:
Customers
Number Affected:
Unknown
Types of Data:
Personal information including "loan applications, Social Security numbers and bank account information"
Breach Description:
"Boxes containing loan applications, Social Security numbers and bank account information for residents of a Gilbert neighborhood were discovered in a ransacked model home abandoned by a bankrupt developer."
Reference URL:
The Arizona Republic
KNXV Channel 15 News
Report Credit:
Chelsea Schneider, The Arizona Republic
Response:
From the online sources cited above:
Boxes containing loan applications, Social Security numbers and bank account information for residents of a Gilbert neighborhood were discovered in a ransacked model home abandoned by a bankrupt developer.
[Evan] The builder, Randall Martin Home did not declare bankruptcy, they just decided that they were "walking away". Does "walking away" include abandoning lots, partially finishing homes (including ones that customers have money tied up in), ignoring warranty work on finished homes, not paying bills to subcontractors (resulting in mechanics liens against homes owned by customers)? We find, in at least this instance, that the company also walked away from any obligation to protect customer information. Randall Martin Home was founded and largely managed by (may need subscription).
Julio Gonzalez stumbled upon stacks of sensitive homeowner information in the garage of a vacant model home.
Gonzalez says a neighbor asked him to look into it after she suspected someone had ransacked the home.
Several Higley Park model homes have been broken into since builder Randall Martin ceased operations.
He's now notifying residents to come collect the documents.
Several of the folders contain personal information of previous homeowners, and Gonzalez is attempting to call those people even though many of the documents are dated back to 2005.
He plans to shred any records that go unclaimed.
Gonzalez reported the records to Gilbert police right after he found them but was told the department couldn't take them.
The Higley Park Homeowners Association, run by Associated Asset Management, also told residents at their annual HOA meeting Monday night they weren't responsible for the records either.
Several of the residents didn't want to take their files to avoid the possibility of being liable for previous homeowners' information.
"I was upset because we have been victims of identity theft before," Gonzalez said.
This discovery is yet another example of problems Higley Park homeowners have faced following Randall Martin walking away from the neighborhood in February.
The 172 lots the builder failed to develop were sold at a trustee sale in late October.
Gilbert police do not believe anyone stole or tampered with the paperwork.
Commentary:
From Randy Bury's summary on LinkedIn; "In April 2004, Randy Bury walked away from the corporate ladder and decided to pursue his longtime dream of starting his own homebuilding company." A common theme is walking away.
To file complaints with the Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, click here. Also from the Arizona Attorney General's web site are the current laws, including Identity Theft Law - Ariz. Rev. Stat. ยง 13-2008, Security Breach Law A.R.S. 44-7501, and Retailer use of personal identifying information A.R.S 44-7701.
Past Breaches:
Unknown
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