FTC Chair's Credit Card Data Stolen

The AP is reporting that the credit card information of Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras was among those stolen from DSW Shoe Warehouse.As I have blogged back on April 19, 2005, data thieves reportedly stole some 1.4 million customer names and credit card numbers from the computer systems of DSW, a popular shoe discounter. And on June 9, 2005, I blogged about the Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro's suit against DSW for failing to promptly notify consumers whose data was stolen.According to the AP report, Majoras learned of the loss of her data when she received a letter from the company notifying her of the breach.The irony, of course, is that the FTC is the federal government agency responsible for policing many of the issues related to identity theft and fraud. This is not the first instance in which FTC commissioners have gotten first-hand experience in coping with problems under the FTC's jurisdiction. Former FTC Commissioner Orson Swindle -- still the best named FTC commissioner ever -- was often fond of recounting his battles with the credit bureaus over erroneous data on his credit report that was impeding his ability to get a home mortgage. At the time, the FTC was suing the credit bureaus for failure to promptly resolve complaints about errors in credit reports. (Naturally, the credit bureaus still deny any wrong-doing.)Luckily for Chairwoman Majoras, the FTC has some good information available for victims of identity theft, should her information actually be misused.