The former employees of an abandoned aluminum manufacturing plant fear their personal files may be swiped by scrap scavengers.

The Indalex plant in Modesto, Calif. closed in 2008, but the owner cannot be found and the piles of employee information still remain inside, says a News10.com report.

The Stanislaus County Calif. sheriff said the problem is not law enforcement's since there is no victim available, the report says.

The report says that the Sheriff and county emergency services will meet this week to discuss how they can help protect former employees from identity theft without becoming liable for what happens on private property.