Man Orders Tie, Gets Personnel Records Instead

With a little more than two weeks to go before their wedding, Emily Dreyfuss' fiance ordered a tie and pocket square from Banana Republic's website to go with his Navy blue suit. What the couple got in the mail instead this week would make an identity thief giddy: the confidential files of about 20 former employees, including Social Security numbers and W4 tax forms. "People should know about this because it's crazy and scary," said Dreyfuss, 29, from her home in Cambridge, Mass.

Inside the box were three folders sealed with tape and labeled "HR Administration." They contained tax and Social Security information as well as handwritten resignation letters, doctors' notes, and salary information—seemingly the employees' entire record at the company. Parent company the Gap says it is investigating how on earth the mistake might have happened. It's also sending the couple a self-addressed, stamped envelope to return the documents. (More Banana Republic stories.)