W2 Mailed Full SSN, Address, Wages and name displayed

Submitted by t3_10q83ey in personalfinance

Hello a previous employer mailed my W2 with full name, SSN, wages, address and etc displayed through a transparent envelope. It looks like no effort was made to conceal any of this information.

I'm wondering doesn't there have to be some law or compliance requirement with regards to safeguarding employer information against this?

This employer in the past has done shady stuff which is why I am no longer there but I did not expect it to this degree. Would I contact a lawyer or would I contact the department of labor? I'm in the process of putting watches on my credit meanwhile.

Thanks!

1

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

t1_j6ofmbm wrote

Unfortunately what you experienced is more common than it should be.

To add to the disappointment, you pretty much have no realistic recourse with respect to punitive actions against the employer.

You'd have to have provable damages as a result from this practice. And obviously, that's going to be difficult as stolen information can be set aside for years before being sold and acted upon. By then, who knows how your information was stolen. Could have been through the see-through envelope. Could have been any number of other breaches.

Anyways, you should act as if your identity has been stolen. Even if this event didn't happen, you should act as if your identity has been stolen. As in, follow the Identity Theft guide in the PF Wiki. Freeze your credit at all the various credit bureaus. Again, should be done regardless of whether or not this event occurred.

3

t1_j6oj7fo wrote

To relax you, Only person to likely see it was your mail carrier putting the letter in your box.

3

t1_j6of1nm wrote

You mean the entire W2 was visible in the envelopes Window?

I don't see any regulations from an IRS point of view. You might see what your state has in terms of privacy or DOL requirements. https://www.irs.gov/instructions/iw2w3#en_US_2023_publink1000308267

While not a good practice I doubt much is going to come from this unless you have some type of other case you are putting together.

1

OP t1_j6ogpdr wrote

Yes exactly that. I'm looking for anything regarding illinois I wasn't able to find anything on IRS instructions either.

1

t1_j6of7bo wrote

Depends on your state. Some states have laws against this (see, eg, https://www.jacksonlewis.com/resources-publication/michigan-establishes-minimum-privacy-protections-social-security-numbers) I don't think there is any federal law on the topic.

1

OP t1_j6oggmv wrote

I appreciate that would you be able to point me in the right direction with regards to illinois? :)

1

t1_j6ogsi4 wrote

I don't know anything in particular about Illinois law

1