Telus is investigating a possible privacy breach after it appears that one of its dealers re-issued a cell phone turned in for recycling.
Jacquie Sali dropped off an old cell phone at an authorized Telus dealer for recycling in April.
Three days later, someone called to say they'd found the phone at a local grocery store, with her home phone number and all her contacts still in it.
"I never expected to see this phone ever again," Sali told CTV News. "I was very shocked that a phone that I had returned for recycling was out there in the community, unbeknownst to me."
Telus spokesman Chris Gerritsen said that the company does not allow its dealers to re-issue recycled phones.
"We are taking this extremely seriously and we share her concerns, of course. The investigation is continuing on and there is still work to be done," he said.
Gerritsen added that employee error is likely to blame for the lapse in security -- Telus policy requires dealers to erase all personal info before phones are sent off to be recycled.
B.C.'s Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham told CTV News that companies are required by law to securely destroy all personal information that comes into their possession.
She said that her office will contact both Telus and the dealer to see how they are handling the situation.
The website recyclemycell.ca recommends that consumers wipe all private data from their own phones before recycling.
The site has instructions for clearing all makes and models of phones.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
