LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles police say they are investigating the online posting of private financial records of several celebrities and the department’s police chief.
A site posted what appear to be credit reports, Social Security numbers and other private details on Police Chief Charlie Beck, FBI Director Robert Mueller and stars such as Jay-Z and Oscar-winner Mel Gibson.
The site did not state why each person was targeted.
Commander Andrew Smith says private information about high-ranking police officials has been posted at least twice before.
Police suspect the information was taken from what is supposed to be a secure city database.
Credit reports posted on the site for Beck and others were apparently generated last week.
The FBI says it is aware of the site, but would not confirm it is investigating.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.
Authorities and celebrities were grappling Monday with how to respond to a website that posted what appears to be private financial information about top government officials and stars such as Jay-Z and Mel Gibson.
Los Angeles police and the FBI said they were aware of the pages but declined to confirm they were investigating the site, which posted purported Social Security numbers and credit reports of the leaders of both agencies. Pages posted on Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not include credit reports but included addresses and other sensitive information.
Social Security numbers posted on Gibson, Jay-Z and others matched records in public databases.
The site, which bore an internet suffix originally assigned to the Soviet Union, remained active Monday afternoon. It did not state how the information was obtained or why the 11 people targeted on the site were selected, describing the records only as “secret files.”
Its existence was first reported Monday by celebrity website TMZ.
FBI Director Robert Mueller and Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck were among those targeted, as were celebrities Beyonce Knowles, Ashton Kutcher, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton.
Several of the purported credit reports appear to have been generated last week.
Representatives for each person targeted either declined to comment on the accuracy of the information that was posted, or they did not return messages seeking comment.
Several of the pages featured unflattering pictures of the celebrities or government officials whose information was posted.
The site’s page on Beck includes a taunting reference to former officer Christopher Dorner, who was killed in a shootout after killing four people over several days last month. Beck’s page included the message “(hash)YouCantCornerTheDorner” and an image of a woman protesting police corruption.
While government officials often have to disclose details on their finances _ and celebrity divorces sometimes feature public financial data _ the information posted online exceeds those disclosures.
Social Security numbers are rarely included in public records anymore because they can be used for identity theft.
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Anthony McCartney can be reached at https://twitter.com/mccartneyAP.
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