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GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS GINNY LEWIS AND I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES. WITH ME TODAY IS PAUL MASTO OF THE SECRET SERVICE AND TIM BEDWELL OF THE NORTH LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. THE REASON WE ARE HERE IS BECAUSE THERE IS IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT 8,900 NEVADA MOTORISTS NEED TO KNOW.
LAST MONDAY AT ABOUT 1 :30 A.M., THIEVES CRASHED A VEHICLE THROUGH THE DOORS OF THE DMV'S DONOVAN OFFICE AND STOLE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES USED TO MAKE DRIVER'S LICENSES.
AT THAT TIME, WE SAID AND WE BELIEVED THERE WAS NO USEFUL DATA STOLEN AND THE EQUIPMENT WAS VIRTUALLY USELESS WITHOUT BEING HOOKED UP TO OUR SYSTEM. HOWEVER, YESTERDAY WE LEARNED AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH THE VENDOR THAT THERE WERE FILES ON THE STOLEN COMPUTER AND THOSE FILES HELD INFORMATION ON ABOUT 8,900 NEVADA MOTORISTS. THAT DATA INCLUDED INFORMATION THAT IS ON THE FRONT OF THE DRIVER'S LICENSE ALONG WITH THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, THE GRAPHIC FILES OF THE HEADSHOT AND SIGNATURE WERE ALSO ON THE COMPUTER.
I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT NO FINANCIAL DATA, SUCH AS CREDIT CARD NUMBERS OR BANK ACCOUNT NUMBERS, WAS ON THE STOLEN COMPUTER.
WE RECOGNIZE THAT A KEY PART OF THE DEPARTMENT'S MISSION IS SAFEGUARDING THE INFORMATION THE CITIZENS OF NEVADA ENTRUST TO US. WE TAKE THAT RESPONSIBILITY VERY SERIOUSLY. WE DECIDED THAT THE MOST APPROPRIATE AND MOST RESPONSIBLE COURSE OF ACTION WAS TO ASSUME THAT THE THIEVES CAN AND WILL ACCESS THE DATA. THEREFORE, THOSE MOTORISTS WHOSE DATA WAS ON THAT COMPUTER NEED TO KNOW THEIR PERSONAL INFORMATION HAS BEEN COMPROMISED.
WE DON'T KNOW HOW SERIOUS THIS THREAT IS, BUT IT NEEDS TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. IF YOU WERE ISSUED A DRIVER'S LICENSE AT THE
DONOVAN OFFICE BETWEEN NOV. 25, 2004 AND MARCH 4, 2005, YOU ARE AMONG THAT GROUP. NO ONE ELSE IN NEVADA WAS AFFECTED. YOUR
DRIVER'S LICENSE HAS THE ISSUE DATE ON IT, IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER OF THE PHOTOGRAPH. LET ME SAY AGAIN: ONLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE ISSUED A LICENSE AT THE DONOVAN OFFICE BETWEEN NOV. 25 AND MARCH 4 HAD THEIR INFORMATION COMPROMISED. NO ONE ELSE IN NEVADA WAS AFFECTED.
WE KNOW PRECISELY WHO THAT GROUP IS AND HERE IS WHAT WE ARE DOING FOR THEM. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF PRINTING OUT A NEW LICENSE WITH A NEW LICENSE NUMBER FOR EVERY ONE OF THE MOTORISTS AFFECTED. A LETTER EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENED AND THAT NEW LICENSE WILL BE SENT BY CERTIFIED MAIL TO THOSE AFFECTED BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. WE WILL THEN INVALIDATE THE OLD LICENSE. WE WILL NOT INVALIDATE THE OLD LICENSE UNTIL THE NEW ONE IS IN THE AFFECTED MOTORIST'S HAND.
AS I SAID, ONLY THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE ISSUED LICENSES BETWEEN NOV. 25 AND MARCH 4 AT THE DONOVAN OFFICE WERE AFFECTED. AN INEVITABLE QUESTION, THOUGH, IS "CAN THIS HAPPEN AGAIN AT SOME OTHER OFFICE." LET ME TELL YOU WHAT WE'VE DONE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT DOESN'T. WHEN WE LEARNED YESTERDAY THAT THERE WERE FILES ON THE STOLEN COMPUTER, WE BEGAN TO REFIGURE THE COMPUTERS AT ALL OUR OFFICES SO THAT NO FILES REMAINED ON THE COMPUTER AFTER THE CLOSE OF BUSINESS. THAT WAS COMPLETED LAST NIGHT. ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE CHANGED SOME INTERNAL PROCEDURES. ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T MAKE OUR OFFICES FORTRESSES AND WE CAN'T STOP DETERMINED
THIEVES, WE CAN SAY AT THIS TIME THAT WHAT HAPPENED AT THE DONOVAN OFFICE MONDAY CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
WE ARE ALSO WORKING WITH LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL AUTHORITIES TO MINIMIZE THE POTENTIAL THREAT TO THOSE AFFECTED. WE HAVE NOTIFIED THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF MOTOR VEHICLE ADMINISTRATORS WHO HAVE ALERTED THE DMV'S IN OTHER STATES.
BEFORE I LET THE OTHERS SPEAK, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY TWO THINGS. FIRST, IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT AS TO WHETHER YOU ARE ONE OF THOSE AFFECTED, PLEASE CALL 702-486-8637. AGAIN, 702-486-8637. WE WILL HAVE THAT NUMBER STAFFED THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND AND DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS NEXT WEEK.
FINALLY WE WOULD ASK THE PUBLIC THAT, IF THEY HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CRIME, TO CONTACT THE
NORTH LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE
U.S. SECRET SERVICE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. I WILL NOW STEP ASIDE BUT I WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS.
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