Laptops containing sensitive records belonging to thousands of Ontario teachers have been stolen, CBC News has learned.

The three laptops contained names, addresses, birth dates and social insurance numbers of about 8,600 teachers, most of whom work at elementary schools for the Toronto District School Board.

The computers were stolen from the Waterloo, Ont., offices of the Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan on Dec. 3.

The organization provides insurance for teachers across the province. The affected teachers were informed of the theft earlier this week, said a spokeswoman for the non-profit insurance organization.

In a notice posted on its website, the organization said it found out about the theft Dec. 4. The group did not say when it determined that sensitive data may have been compromised.

"As soon as we did determine that there was member data involved we set out to put a plan together to notify the members who were affected," Julie Millard told CBC News on Wednesday.

The thieves also broke into a cafeteria cash register and tried to break into a closet containing office supplies, the organization said. No arrests have been made.

Waterloo Regional Police have characterized the theft as a routine "smash and grab."

Numerous possibilities for fraud

But Ken Anderson, Ontario's assistant privacy commissioner, said the situation may not be so cut and dried.

"There are actually professional theft rings now that are looking for laptops, BlackBerrys [and] other portable devices where they can get the information … they strip it out and it can be used in many ways."

For instance, the information can be used to obtain false passports and fake credit cards or for re-mortgaging a victim's home.

Anderson, who is charged with ensuring the government keeps public data safe, said it's "as important, and indeed in some cases, maybe even more important, that the private sector protects your information, especially if it's in a digital format."

Millard acknowledged none of the data on the laptops was encrypted but said the computers were password-protected.

She said a consulting firm is giving teachers advice about preventing fraudulent use of their information, including being told to call credit-rating agencies to flag the theft.

"We believe their identity is safe because of the measures we're taking to protect them," she said.

"Our goal right now is doing the right thing for the members that were affected and examining all of our security policies and procedures and improving [them]."

Teachers who think they might be affected by the theft but have not been contacted are advised to call the insurance firm at 1-800-267-6847.

News of the theft comes a month after a health worker in Whitby, Ont., lost a USB key containing the names and OHIP numbers of 80,000 people in Durham Region. Data on the key wasn't encrypted either.

This prompted Ontario's privacy commissioner to order government agencies to encrypt personal information on devices such as USB keys and laptops.