Posted on 05/22/2006 4:53:53 PM PDT by SandRat
| WASHINGTON, May 22, 2006 – Veterans Affairs officials today announced the theft of personal information on up to 26.5 million veterans. However, VA Secretary R. James Nicholson stressed there's no indication the information is being used for purposes of fraud. "We at the VA have recently learned that an employee here, a data analyst, took home a considerable amount of electronic data from the VA, which he was not authorized to do," Nicholson said. "His home was burglarized, and this data was stolen." The compromised data includes names, Social Security numbers and birthdates of veterans separating from the military since 1975, he said. The information also may have included data on veterans who separated before 1975 but who submitted a claim for VA benefits. No medical or financial information was compromised, though the files might have contained numeric disability ratings in some cases, Nicholson added. A statement issued by the department indicated that spousal information also might have been compromised in some cases. "There is no indication & that any use is being made of this data or even that (the thieves) know they have it," Nicholson said. Exercising what the secretary called "an abundance of caution," the department is working through a number of channels, including the news media, to make veterans aware of the situation. Individual notification letters also will be mailed to veterans. The department is providing more information through the www.firstgov.gov Web site and call centers that can be reached at (800) 333-4636. The call centers, which will be active today, will be able to handle more than 250,000 calls a day. "The most important priority that I have right now is to get the word out to our veterans and get them alerted and aware of this possibility," Nicholson said. The department also is encouraging veterans to watch their financial accounts carefully for any signs of fraud or identity theft. If suspicious activity is detected, veterans should contact the fraud department of one of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. Nichols said the Federal Trade Commission has alerted credit bureaus of a potential increase in requests for fraud alerts and for requests for credit reports. Any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently should be closed, and the veteran should file a report with local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Those who suspect identity theft also are encouraged to contact the Federal Trade Commission via its identity-theft hotline at (877) 438-4338, or through its Web site. There is no indication when the career employee removed the information from his office, but the data was stolen when his home was burglarized sometime this month, Nicholson said. He declined to identify the employee or where he lives but said law enforcement officials reported several burglaries in the area and they do not believe the stolen information was targeted. "The employee has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of (a full-scale) investigation," Nicholson said. All appropriate law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Veterans Affairs Department's Inspector General are participating in the investigation. Members of the President's Identity Theft Task Force will meet today to coordinate a comprehensive response, recommend ways to further protect affected veterans, and increase safeguards to prevent the reoccurrence of such incidents, Nicholson said. VA officials also moved up the date by which all department employees must complete the "VA Cyber Security Awareness Training Course" and the "General Employee Privacy Awareness Course." Both must be completed by June 30. Additionally, Veterans Affairs will immediately begin conducting a review of all current positions requiring access to sensitive information. All employees requiring access to such data will undergo updated law enforcement and background checks. |
Biography:
Related Sites:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Resource
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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