Governor Pledges 'Every Possible Action' to Minimize Records Loss

Kulongoski says he will work to protect consumers from ID fraud, and hold criminals accountable.

Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski

(SALEM) - In response to the recent attack on state taxpayers` records by a `Trojan horse" virus, Governor Ted Kulongoski issued the following statement Tuesday: `I was angry when I learned that a former employee of the Department of Revenue had illegally downloaded pornography on a state-owned computer, infecting the Department`s records with a Trojan horse virus. Though the Department acted correctly in immediately firing that employee, the virus captured some taxpayers` records, resulting in the potential compromise of more than 1,300 Oregon taxpayers` personal information. `I want the citizens of Oregon to know that we are taking every possible action to ensure that the people affected by this breech receive immediate notification, and that the State of Oregon will do everything possible to guard against any further compromise of their personal information. `I will direct the Department of Revenue to help affected taxpayers by providing credit-monitoring and other services to protect them from damage by this virus. `Because of our ever-increasing reliance on technology in our homes and workplaces, identity theft is a growing problem. As Governor, I have made fighting ID theft a top priority. This means working to protect consumers and ensuring that those who commit fraud are held accountable to the fullest measure. `I want to assure all Oregonians that we will use every resource at our disposal to make certain that such an occurrence never happens again."