Did you buy a refurbished Motorola XOOM from Woot.com between late September and early December last year? Then you may want to check your inbox, as Woot has been sending emails out to buyers letting them know that a small batch of the XOOMs sold were not properly refurbished by Motorola. According to the official press release from Motorola, around 100 XOOMs of the total group of 6,200 may not have had all of the information related to the previous owner completely erased.

In response, Motorola's looking to make things up to both the refurb XOOM buyers as well as the people whose data may have not been properly erased. For the buyers, Moto is asking that you visit this site or give them a call to determine if your XOOM is indeed one of the affected devices. If it is, Motorola will pay to have the XOOM shipped to it to be erased and get it back to you in 3-4 business days, and the company will toss you a $100 American Express gift card for your trouble. And for the folks that originally bought a XOOM and then returned it? Motorola says it'll offer a free two-year membership to Experian’s ProtectMyID service to anyone that bought a XOOM and then returned it between March and October 2011 at a number of different retailers, including Amazon.com, Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale, eBay, Office Max, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, or Staples as well as a few other independent retailers.

It's always kind of a bummer to hear when folks' data could be at risk, but it's good to see Motorola and Woot working to get the situation fixed, especially with Moto offering gift cards and identity protection service to those affected. If you think this situation might concern you, or you just want to read into it a little further, you can find Motorola's full press release down below.

Motorola Mobility Notifies Certain Purchasers of Refurbished Motorola XOOM™ Wi-Fi Tablets of Refurbishment Process Error

Feb. 03, 2012  

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – Feb. 3, 2012 - Motorola Mobility, Inc. today announced that it has recently learned that approximately 100 out of a batch of 6,200 Motorola XOOM™ Wi-Fi tablets that were refurbished by Motorola Mobility may not have been completely cleared of the original owner’s data prior to resale. The affected tablets were resold by Woot.com between October and December 2011. While this matter likely affects only a small number of refurbished units, Motorola has a strong commitment to its consumers, and is proactively responding to mitigate any risk to its customers. Motorola has confirmed that any refurbished units sold outside the time period in question were properly refurbished.

The information that may be accessible to the purchasers of the impacted refurbished tablets may include any information that the original user elected to store on the tablet. It is possible that users might have stored photographs and documents. They may have also stored user names and passwords for email and social media accounts, as well as other password-protected sites and applications.

Motorola is offering customers who purchased and then returned a Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi tablet to Amazon.com, Best Buy, BJ’s Wholesale, eBay, Office Max, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, or Staples and a few other independent retailers between March and October 2011 a complimentary two-year membership of Experian’s ProtectMyID™ Alert to mitigate any risks. Original owners are advised to contact Experian at 1-866-926-9803 to sign up for the credit monitoring service. These original owners are also advised to take precautionary measures to protect their identity, such as changing their email and social media passwords. Original owners who performed a factory data reset prior to returning the device are not impacted.

In conjunction with today’s announcement, Motorola is also actively pursuing the return of the impacted refurbished units to ensure that the memory of each device is cleared. Customers who purchased a refurbished Motorola XOOM Wi-Fi tablet from Woot.com between October and December 2011 are encouraged to visit motorola.com/xoomreturn or to call Motorola Mobility Customer Support at 1-800-734-5870, select Option 1, in order to determine if their tablet is affected.

Motorola sincerely regrets and apologizes for any inconvenience this situation has caused the affected customers. Motorola is committed to rigorous data protection practices in order to protect its customers, and will continue to take the necessary steps to achieve this objective.

About Motorola Mobility

Motorola Mobility, Inc. (NYSE:MMI) fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

Via Android Central