Citibank exposes 600,000 SSNs.

• Position: INFO SECURITY - Social Security numbers - Brief article

In late January, Citibank mailed year-end tax statements to 600,000 Citi customers. The problem was, the customers' Social Security numbers (SSNs) were printed on the outside of the envelopes.

Citi called the mistake a "processing error." The SSN appeared at the lower edge of the envelope along with other numbers and letters that together resembled a mail routing number.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Executive Vice President and Director of Citibank Client Services Norman White sent notification letters to every affected Citi customer during the week of February 15, 2010, apologizing for the error. The letter offered Citi customers the option to enroll in a free, 180-day credit monitoring service arranged by Citibank, but White also encouraged customers to regularly review activity on...