Posted on 05/22/2006 4:53:53 PM PDT by SandRat
Birth dates, SSANs, Full Name, in some cases of Widows/Children of living/deceased vets their SSANs, Birth dates, full names
Oy.
I prefer Frog Marched to get a Pre-Trial Confinement Orange Jumpsuit and a first issue of Soap on a Rope.
O great. Thanks
That was my thought. What a great source of fake SS#'s for illegals. And what great timing--just as we are about to give the Social Security rights--even for using fradulent SS#s. So when I get ready to collect SS, I'll have to split my check with one or more illegals. Is this how the Administration proposes "solving" the Social Security crisis?
Well there goes $10,335,000 in postage alone.
Im all for a class action suit. If there are identity thefts as a result of this there will definatly be one. Damages out the waazzooo.
This bean counter needs to get a pink slip ASAP
Send Him to Sheriff Joe Aripio and He'll get Pink underwear too.
The VA seems to be a disaster from one end to the other. An old friend just received the attached letter from the VA and is, of course, devastated by its content. I have removed all identifying information to protect my friend's privacy, but this information needs to get out to anyone who uses VA medical facilities. Beware!
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Medical Center
In Reply Refer To:
This letter is to follow up regarding your prostate biopsy performed at our facility. We have recently determined that some of our devices used to perform prostate biopsies may not have been satisfactorily sterilized or disinfected. When VA becomes aware of a potential problem, it is our practice to notify the individuals involved. We wanted to let you know that there is a very small chance that you could have been exposed to hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, or the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Therefore, we are offering you the opportunity to return to VA for blood tests for these infections. I want to assure you that we have no evidence that any patient who had a prostate biopsy with this equipment has acquire9 any of these infections. But because a very small risk may exist, we want you to know about it. Also, we have no reason to believe that there was any problem with your biopsy test results and there is no need for an additional biopsy because of the situation described in this letter.
The decision to offer you testing has been made in consultation with the manufacturer of the prostate biopsy device, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration. We have staff available to take your questions. For additional information or to arrange for blood tests at VA where and when it is convenient for you, call 1-888-400-8387. If you have a Primary Care Provider at the VA Medical Center, he or she is aware of this issue.
Please accept my deep regret ana apology to you for the situation that led to this letter.
I also want to assure you that we are taking all the necessary steps to ensure that this situation does not occur again. We understand our responsibility and the trust that you place in us and I want to let you know that we are doing everything we can to continue to receive your trust. If your questions or needs are not adequately addressed by calling the number above, please contact my office at (503) 220-8262 ext. 57200 and someone on my staff will return your call.
Sincerely,
Oh Yeah! Expect nothing less!
Which VA hospital was this at?
No, but they have your SSN, and that can track you down in seconds. . .
From http://www1.va.gov/opa/
VA's Notification Letter to Veterans
Dear Veteran:
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has recently learned that an employee took home electronic data from the VA, hich he was not authorized to do and was in violation of established policies. The employee's home was burglarized and this data was stolen. The data contained identifying information including names, social security numbers, and dates of birth for up to 26.5 million veterans and some spouses, as well as some disability ratings. As a result of this incident, information identifiable with you was potentially exposed to others. It is important to note that the affected data did not include any of VA's electronic health records or any financial information.
Appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the VA Inspector General's office, have launched full-scale investigations into this matter. Authorities believe it is unlikely the perpetrators targeted the items because of any knowledge of the data contents. It is possible that they remain unaware of the information which they possess or of how to make use of it.
Out of an abundance of caution, however, VA is taking all possible steps to protect and inform our veterans. While you do not need to take any action unless you are aware of suspicious activity regarding your personal information, there are many steps you may take to protect against possible identity theft and we wanted you to be aware of these. Specific information is included in the attached question and answer sheet. For additional information, the VA has teamed up the Federal Trade Commission and has a website (www.firstgov.gov) with information on this matter or you may call 1-800-FED-INFO (1-800-333-4636). The call center will operate from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (EDT), Monday-Saturday, as long as it is needed.
We apologize for any inconvenience or concern this situation may cause, but we at the VA believe it is important for you to be fully informed of any potential risk resulting from this incident. Again, we want to reassure you we have no evidence that your protected data has been misused. We will keep you apprised of any further developments. The men and women of the VA take our obligation to honor and serve America's veterans very seriously and we are committed to seeing this never happens again.
Sincerely,
R. James Nicholson
Secretary of Veterans Affairs
Nah, that would require the cooperation of the IRS or 50 different DMVs. I won't be holding my breath waiting for notification!
Not after all the publicity.
I see you are working full time in four cities in three different states one being Hawaii.
Thanks for the info. I'll be watching my credit card logs online.
Even the local news is running with it. The MSM will use this to trash the administration some more.
Hopefully the hardware is setting in a pawn shop somewhere waiting for a jackbooted thug to stumble upon it.
It may be time for just a little extra suspicion regarding phishing emails, too. Somebody with your name, DOB, and SSN who cons you into passing them your bank account or credit card number "for verification" might not be who they pretend to be and if they get them, they're you.
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