My Personal USB Drive, Lost at Work, but Was Found by Staff, Personal Files Exposed by Staff, Whats The Best Action???

iconic66 on 02/11/2016 - 15:06
Last edited 08/09/2023 - 10:59 by 1 other user

Hi All,

Recently I lost a Personal USB Drive, at work..which was handed in to the office staff, it was accessed by some staff..(I'm employed by a MAJOR AUSTRALIAN BASED RETAIL ORGANIZATION..ie the Big Red/Green Shed)

I approached the staff to check the lost/found,one member checked for me, and said it wasn't their( this being true)
The other staff member just said 'it wasn't their', but I have later found out that she knows all my Banks account totals, websites, my emails have been looked at, when I haven't even read them!!.
Other staff members who are close to this person, have mentioned materials, which only can be found on his drive.
The USB Drive did turn up,placed in my pigeon hole.( but it had already been looked at)
Solution's

Use the 'Code of Conduct', formal complainant ( but what happens if the Manager dismisses the complainant'
Personally speak to the said team member's
Take legal action.
What in your view to the best turn of action to proceed.

Thanks guys your feed back is very much appreciated.

Education & Work

Comments

  • ozhunter on 02/11/2016 - 15:10
    +13

    Not sure what to do, but if you have all that personal info on a usb drive, I assume you would have it encrypted.

    • iconic66 on 02/11/2016 - 16:52

      No I did not have it encryted…but I will tend to that

  • Ash-Say on 02/11/2016 - 15:12

    Lodge a formal complaint with your HR. Every organisation generally manages Ethical Conduct/Whistleblowing policy.

  • pantsparty on 02/11/2016 - 15:17
    +23

    I am confused. Why did you have so much personal info on a USB stick? Was there anything dodgy on there?

    If I had found it I probably would have looked at the files too to work out who owned it. This is the modern day equivalent of if you had printed out all your bank details and emails and stored them in a folder, and then lost the folder. I don't think you can blame someone for looking in the folder if they found it.

    Are you being harassed or bullied as a result of some questionable material on the USB drive?

    • iconic66 on 02/11/2016 - 16:53

      looking into the folder, true I agree, but when they have accessed email,bank accounts,other websites…its a different story

      • pantsparty on 02/11/2016 - 17:04
        +1

        I am still confused. Are you saying that saved on the USB drive you had a text document which listed your usernames and passwords for your email and bank accounts, and that someone then used these details to login to your accounts? It is hard for us to give you proper advice without a more accurate description of what has happened.

      • inherentchoice on 02/11/2016 - 17:38
        +2

        Change your passwords.

  • p1 ama on 02/11/2016 - 15:26
    +3

    How do you know they looked at it?

  • Paul Atreides on 02/11/2016 - 15:31
    +4

    exactly, prolly just opened up the files to try and find some form of identity.

    kinda like if you found a wallet, you open it to try and find out the identity of the person that owns it (e.g. license) - so you can return it

  • Nutrino on 02/11/2016 - 15:46
    +20

    So instead of thanking he person who found your USB and returning it to you, your looking for blood. OK.

  • Baysew on 02/11/2016 - 15:52
    +6

    Give the person who found it a big thank you and a reward.

  • Ryanek on 02/11/2016 - 15:54
    +4

    Crikey mate just be grateful you got it back. A lesser person would not have even bothered. You have no one else to blame but yourself for having personal files that are easily accessible.

  • [Deactivated] on 02/11/2016 - 15:56
    +5

    2 good things happened you got your flash drive back, and the second is you learnt to encrypt your data

    • iconic66 on 02/11/2016 - 16:57
      +1

      Yes I will encrypt my data

  • fruit on 02/11/2016 - 16:06
    +2

    my emails have been looked at, when I haven't even read them!!.

    Do you mean they have logged in as you?

    • chriise on 02/11/2016 - 16:22
      +6

      I also did not understand this… I didn't understand most of the OP, actually.

    • iconic66 on 02/11/2016 - 16:55

      Yes…as my emails were all unread, then I looged in and they had all been viewed.

      • Olokun on 03/11/2016 - 12:24

        So are you assuming that the 2 events are related or do you have proof?

  • inherentchoice on 02/11/2016 - 16:08
    +8

    Take legal action.

    A lawyer would ask what damages you have suffered. Do you have a bruised ego?

    • StewBalls on 02/11/2016 - 17:02
      +2

      Do you have a bruised ego?

      I hear that's gonna be in the DSM VI. ;)

  • Unclefugger on 02/11/2016 - 16:20
    +4

    Just to clarify, was it just banking statements and files etc on there? Or your actual banking and email passwords?

    If someone else has knowingly logged onto your internet banking or email account I'm reasonably sure that's a matter for the police.

    Some advice going forward: There's plenty of apps out there that allow you to keep an encrypted database on a USB key for passwords and details. Have a look at KeePass portable.

  • blitz on 02/11/2016 - 16:35
    +3

    OP, clearly you are not driving the right kind of car. If you only drove a Mercedes, your co-workers would know you were not to be trifled with.

  • altomic on 02/11/2016 - 17:24
    +7

    *there

    • inherentchoice on 02/11/2016 - 17:34
      +2

      *ORGANISATION
      *bank accounts
      *complaint
      *members
      *feedback

  • chumlee on 02/11/2016 - 17:40
    +8

    That's why you should have porn on your USB drive so that when someone at work finds it and snoops through it you can have them fired for watching porn at work.

  • [Deactivated] on 03/11/2016 - 12:13
    1. Grow some
    2. Learn from the experience
    3. Move on.
      Life is short-enjoy it.
  • farknos on 03/11/2016 - 12:44

    I dont know if the person who accessed your usb is more or less dodgy than you.
    i am guessing you are not stating the whole story here.
    you probably need to fill in a heap of blanks for any of this to gel.
    Grow some and if you are as dodgy as it reads lean to encrypt

  • Brendoo on 03/11/2016 - 13:28

    How do you know they know your bank account totals? Did someone say to you "I know your bank account totals, they are $x.xx and $x.xx"?"

    Did you have the totals in a text document on the USB stick or did you have your bank name and user/password on the USB stick?

  • sky blu on 04/11/2016 - 03:40
    +1

    Kool storey, bru

  • phocus on 07/11/2016 - 13:57
    +3

    if only they took your ozbargain password so they can login and tell us what really happened

  • godofpizza on 15/11/2016 - 09:30

    best action: have usb chained to you car keys

  • Adz81 on 15/11/2016 - 09:45

    Best actions- thank the person that found it, change passwords, don't worry about the fact that Helpy Helperton USB Finder has now seen your emails containing shipping advice from Uncle Bob's House of Pleasure, in fact, you should probably make a lot more eye contact with them from here on.

    /end thread.

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