While a laptop computer containing personal information was quickly recovered after allegedly having been stolen in Auburn this week, the chief executive officer of an identification theft service said the incident should make people alert as to what they should do to protect themselves.

Michael Durnack, an Auburn native who now runs Syracuse-based Identity Defense, urges people to be pro-active if ever they believe their personal information has fallen into the wrong hands.

The county on Thursday issued a warning to the public about the computer theft. The laptop, allegedly stolen Wednesday from the Booker T. Washington Center, was holding personal information of people who applied for Family Health Plus or Child Health Plus at several county locations.

The county recommended that if an application was submitted for either program since January 2003 to present, affected people should immediately contact a credit reporting agency and request a fraud alert be placed on the credit card accounts.

The alert can be put in place for 90 days or up to seven years.

Durnack said he applauded the county for quickly reporting the potential breach, but he said a fraud alert alone may not be an adequate response.

“There are many other ways in which this personal information can be used, anywhere in the country or world and not just with a credit card,” he wrote in a letter to local media. “Many get car loans, acquire cell phones, rent properties, obtain utility services, medical services, prescriptions, or use for a criminal conviction.”

Among his recommendations:

€ Get a credit freeze or security freeze to lock down credit from any new accounts being opened in your name.

€ Actively review bank and credit statements - online if possible - so you can do so more frequently.

€ Take note of unexpected phone calls or mail from medical facilities or pharmacies.

€ Look out for bills or calls from a collection agency pertaining to transactions anywhere in the world.

€ Monitor mail for increases or decreased in volume.

€ Review personal background information annual to be sure nobody has been charged with a crime in your name.

€ Use an insurance information service to check once a year that no major claim has been made in your name.