TD says sorry after hacker hits clients

TD Ameritrade began sending apology letters to most of its clients after a hacker stole vital information. The company discovered the problem about two weeks ago when clients. complained that they were receiving spam to accounts that only TD Ameritrade could be aware of. It was discovered that the names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of all clients who opened accounts before July 18 had been improperly downloaded. However, the company found no evidence that account numbers, dates of birth and Social Security numbers, also stored in that database, were taken, according to a statement released TD. The problem is now fixed, according to TD Ameritrade spokeswoman Kim Hillyer, and the company has found no evidence that the hacker used the information to access the accounts. That's because codes used for logging in to accounts are stored elsewhere in the system, she said. The company said it has hired a firm, ID Analytics Inc., to investigate and monitor for potential identity theft and that as yet, it has found none. “We sincerely apologize,” said Joe Moglia, the company’s chairman and chief executive in a prepared statement. Due to an editing error, this story originally stated that the hacker stole Social Security numbers. The company found no evidence that account numbers, dates of birth or Social Security numbers were affected.