City hall loses IRS tapes loaded with personal info

City hall loses IRS tapes loaded with personal info
Contain names, Social Security numbers, bank account information

KANSAS CITY, MO. -- If you live or work in Kansas City, Mo., your personal information may be in the wrong hands. City Hall has lost 26 IRS computer tapes.

The city isn't sure if it ever received the 26 computer tapes or if the tapes just didn't make it to the finance department at City Hall. The tapes contain personal information from taxpayers and if placed in the wrong hands could potentially cause a lot of problems.

The tapes contain names, Social Security numbers and bank account information that the IRS shares with the city so it can collect its one percent earnings tax.

Assistant city manager Richard Noll said City Hall has been searched from the bottom to the top looking for the tapes.

"We unfortunately did not locate the tapes," Noll said.

The tapes actually have been missing since August and some taxpayers are fearing the worst.

"There's just so many problems that could arise from that," Andrew Klekacz said.

"I wish they would take just a little bit more care with the information that they have, especially when it's my information, cause I know probably mine is on their 'cause of the Kansas City earnings tax," Travis Gaddis said.

If you live or work in Kansas City, Mo., your personal information maybe on the missing tapes, but Noll said the average person won't be able to read the tapes.

"It's not a situation that if you had a laptop you could access," Noll said. "You would need some specialized equipment and some specialized knowledge in order to read these tapes."

While you may be concerned the missing tapes contain your personal information, Cindy Richey, a financial planner, said don't be too alarmed.

"I think people might be surprised at how much of that is already floating around out there," Richey said.