On Sunday, Investors Group Inc. reported that it had been advised by ISM Canada that Q3 2002 statement data representing a significant portion of Investors Group’s clients was among the data contained on a PC hard drive that is presumed stolen from an ISM facility in Regina.

Last week, the Co-operators Group issued a similar announcement.

Investors Group says the client-specific information stored on the missing hard drive was the client’s name and address, client and account numbers, portfolio holdings and beneficiaries, if applicable. There is no ability for anyone to use this data to access Investors Group client accounts in any way.

“I understand the concern this may cause for our clients,” said Jeff Orr, president and CEO of Investors Group. “The security of our clients’ information is a top priority for Investors Group, and we take this incident very seriously.”

“Individual letters are being sent to each of the Investors Group clients affected and those not affected, informing them of the incident. We have also worked to apprise our 3,300 Consultants and they are available to respond to any questions or concerns that clients may have,” Orr said.

The missing data does not include any of the confidential personal information typically involved in the misuse of personal data, such as social insurance numbers, dates of birth, or banking information.

“I have been working with Ed Kilroy, President, IBM Canada who is ensuring that this matter is handled quickly and properly. As well, Investors Group has been working very closely with officials at ISM Canada,” Orr said. “We understand they are cooperating fully with police on an investigation into a possible theft, and ISM Canada and IBM Canada have emphasized to us that they take this very seriously.”