A computer hacker broke into a state Employment Development Department computer last month, potentially accessing sensitive personal information of some 90,000 household employers and their employees - maids, nannies, cooks, gardeners and in-home care workers. . . .
A computer hacker broke into a state Employment Development Department computer last month, potentially accessing sensitive personal information of some 90,000 household employers and their employees - maids, nannies, cooks, gardeners and in-home care workers.

State officials, including California Highway Patrol Commissioner D.O. "Spike" Helmick, said Friday they don't believe the hacker actually took any personal information, but acknowledged that they can't be sure. The hacker apparently used the computer to send commercial spam written in a foreign language to South Korea and Thailand. "We don't have any evidence that they got access to any sensitive data," said Tom Marshal, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol. The Employment Development Department, which collects payroll taxes and manages the state's unemployment benefits, sent letters dated Wednesday to 55,000 household workers and 35,000 employees, warning them of the potential identity theft risk. All of the employee data and some of the employer information included Social Security numbers.

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