Personnel files are supposed to be confidential. More than two-dozen former store employees would be shocked to learn their records ended up exposed in a very public place.

It's a treasure chest identity pirates dig for in dumpsters. Luckily an honest citizen found it first. "Date of birth, social security number, address, driver's license number," says Darcey Young, who turned the files over to Six On Your Side which contacted some of the former workers.

Info from old personnel files Young found while looking for shelves in an open dumpster outside the Oak View Mall. “It's everything you give to an employer you trust them with."

The discarded personnel files came from Claire's, an accessories store that hires many young women like Julie Prentis who worked there a few years ago.

“It just scares me because if the wrong person had this, if they want to come to my house they know where I live. My driver's license number, it's just too much information not to shred it."

The files on former workers dating back 10 years or more include social security and driver’s license numbers. We found 20 applications all from women now in their 20s.

Barb Lamoine's daughter is a former Claire's employee whose personnel record lists parents' addresses and phone numbers. “I don't like it. I'm very angry. This is not good at all."

How did old personnel files still organized in a waterproof container end up in a dumpster anyone could dive into? Six On Your Side went shopping for answers at Claire's.

“I'm Mike McKnight, Channel 6 News.”

“Oh, hi,” said the manager.

“I have records unshredded on probably 20 former employees.”

“I don't know," said the manager.

Prentis says the store needs to accessorize with a shredder. “People dumpster dive everywhere. They steal your trash, they steal your mail. Something like this being corporate, you'd think you'd know better than throw something with all this information in a dumpster."

Prentis says she's shocked, but grateful her personnel file was found in a dumpster by someone who took it personally. “They are very lucky it wasn't somebody that could have done a lot of damage," says Young.

Six On Your Side handed the files over to an investigator for Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, who is very concerned about the discovery. His office will investigate if any laws were broken.

Channel 6 News’ repeated calls and e-mail to Claire's management have not been returned.