Taking bank trash, Fairfield man claims security lapse
BRIDGEPORT, Conn.—A Fairfield man who claims security lapses after taking bank documents from trash bins is headed to court on civil charges that he violated a restraining order won by the bank.
For four months, James Hastings searched through trash bins outside People's United Bank branches in Fairfield County. He pulled out bags of paperwork with private information, including customers' Social Security numbers and account information.
The bank last month won a restraining order against Hastings, 56, requiring him to not discuss the matter or distribute paperwork. He has since been interviewed by the Connecticut Post.
Brent DiGiorgio, a spokesman for People's Bank, said its primary concern is protecting the customers' information that Hastings has taken. The bank promises to provide a year of free credit monitoring to customers whose information was taken and has contacted affected customers, he said.
People's trains employees abut safeguarding customer information and the bank is reviewing its policies, DiGiorgio said.
Hastings said he's not an identity thief, but instead wants the bank to respond to what he called a serious security lapse. He also shot videotape of unsecured trash bins filled with what he said are customer records.
Hastings, a home repairman, said he began sifting through trash when he spotted a bin filled with garbage bags as he exited a People's branch parking lot in Fairfield about four months ago. He said he looked more closely and saw clear garbage bags stuffed with financial documents.
Hastings said he worked nights and weekends searching trash bins at People's and other financial institutions.
"I'm disgusted by what I've pulled out of those bags," he said.
He turned over a lot of those documents to police during the raid, but kept some in boxes, hoping to turn them over to state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
The attorney general's office has refused to speak with Hastings until lawyers investigate the restraining order.
Hastings said that after several months he contacted People's and met March 19 with William A Gniazdowski, the bank's director of corporate security. Gniazdowski said Hastings asked that People's hire him as a "fraud consultant."
Hastings, who has served a two-year probation for trying to get drugs from a pharmacy by impersonating a doctor, denied Gniazdowski's accusation. He said he told bank officials that People's needs a consultant.
"You don't need to hire me," he said he told bank officials.
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Information from: Connecticut Post, http://www.connpost.com
