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Tax data found Missing package of tax data turns up in morning mail By MARTIGA LOHN Associated Press Writer ST. PAUL - In the end, the slightly dented Priority Mail package turned up Wednesday in the morning mail at the state Revenue Department, two months late and apparently unharmed.
Tax officials had been searching for the parcel containing a computer backup cartridge with sensitive data on more than 50,000 Minnesota taxpayers, most of them businesses being audited for back taxes. An employee sent the package from Baxter to St. Paul on May 13.
"It's Christmas a little early for me," Revenue Commissioner Dan Salomone said at a news conference. "I'm relieved that we have it back in house and that we have no evidence of mischief involving any information."
Lisa Paxton, Brainerd Lakes Area Chambers of Commerce executive director, said it was good news that the parcel containing the data was found and delivered.
"I think everyone can breathe a sigh of relief," Paxton said. "I think that for all entities that have access to this kind of data it's just a reminder of how important fool-safe systems are for keeping that information confidential."
The backup cartridge had Social Security numbers and other information on 2,400 individual taxpayers and identifying information on 48,000 companies. Officials notified the individuals whose data was involved, and were just starting to contact the businesses, Salomone said.
Judging by two Brainerd postmarks on the package, Salomone said he suspected it was found in the Brainerd post office. U.S. Postal Service spokesman Pete Nowacki said postal authorities were looking into the package's journey but didn't have details yet.
The Revenue Department plans to spend about $300,000 to convert to an electronic backup system for its regional offices by the end of the year. In the meantime, Salomone said sensitive data will be sent only through mail or courier services that use tracking numbers.
The package's disappearance unsettled state tax officials after the theft of a flash drive and a laptop in separate incidents in past eight months. Identity theft is a growing problem, and Salomone said the Social Security numbers and other information in the package could have been used to commandeer bank accounts.
"In a sense we're better off for what has happened," Salomone said. "Sometimes in a complex organization you don't realize when something needs to be tuned up until you have a problem."
(Staff writer Matt Erickson contributed to this story)
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