Friday, August 14, 2009
Attorney General Abbott Reaches Data Protection Agreement With Edinburg Fitness Center
EDINBURG – Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott this week reached an agreement with Cornerstone Fitness, L.L.C. that requires the fitness center to better protect its customers’ personal information.
In February, the Attorney General charged Cornerstone with violating a Texas law that governs the disposal of confidential consumer data. According to the state investigators, the defendant hired a moving company to transport equipment, furniture and business records to its flagship facility on Cornerstone Blvd. in October 2007. A filing cabinet containing customers’ personal training service contracts was found in a dumpster behind the defendant’s McColl Road location. The contracts included customers’ sensitive personal information. State investigators subsequently showed that the defendant failed to satisfy Identity Theft Enforcement and Protection Act document security requirements.
| Media links |
| Final Judgment against Cornerstone Fitness |
Under today’s agreement, the defendant must implement a comprehensive records management policy and strictly comply with state document disposal laws.
Cornerstone Fitness Texas, L.L.C. agreed to pay $28,000 in civil penalties and attorneys’ fees to resolve the state’s enforcement action.
To prevent identity theft, all Texas should monitor their credit reports by obtaining cost-free copies annually. To get free copies of credit reports, visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com, call (877) 322-8228 or write: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, Ga. 30348-5281.
To learn more about the Office of the Attorney General’s efforts to prevent identity theft, visit the agency’s Web site at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.
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