Attention On Decks, Marines, Va Records Stolen

[booksbenji]

:evilgrin: :mad:

Sec Nicholson has just announced the theft of a VA computer with 26 million vets names, SS# and dates of birth----no financial or health info. An employee, unauthorized, took a laptop home and his home was burglarized.

No evidence yet that the information is compromised. They are going public---obviously, now.

They've set up an 800 number 1 800 333 4636, website www.firstgov.gov and sending individual letters to vets, as possible. Sec says vets need to be alert and do those things that help protect them which will be announced by them to all VSOs shortly.

Active IG investigation going on. Sec wants VSOs to help give out the news.

WEBSITE NO HELP #is good

FOX NEWS: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196492,00.html

[booksbenji]

WITH STUPIDVISOR, the cd a/o laptop not compable with any known outside gov't putor system. WWWHHEEWWW that a relief. WRONG will be able to tell until the aftermath. :devious: :mad: :mad:

[thedrifter]

May 22, 2006
Personal info of 26 million vets stolen from VA employee’s home

By Gordon Lubold
Times staff writer

A common house burglar has in his hands the names, Social Security numbers and other personal information of more than 26 million veterans and a Department of Veterans Affairs employee is on administrative leave after an incident of misjudgment and bad luck.

A career VA employee took data containing the 26.5 million names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and possibly other information to his home from work recently and then had the misfortune of having his home burglarized and the information taken.


VA officials declined to provide much detail about the incident, except to say that they are notifying veterans, scrambling to open call centers and Web sites and investigating the matter. Although the data is out there, there is no reason at present to think the burglar knows what he has, said VA Secretary James Nicholson in a conference call May 22.

“There is no indication that any use is being made of this data or even that they know that they have it,” said Nicholson.

The stolen data did not contain any medical or financial records, Nicholson said.

He declined to name the employee or say where the theft occurred, except to say the employee had been placed on administrative leave and that the burglary had occurred within the last month. The VA is headquartered in the Washington, D.C., region.

The employee was not authorized to remove the information from VA offices, but Nicholson said there was no reason to think the worker was attempting to do anything but use the data as part of his job.

“We do have people here who telecommute,” he said. “But we have policies and procedures and this person violated those.”

The list of 26.5 million veterans includes all those who left the service since 1975, up to and including those veterans who filed DD-214 release forms with the department up until recently. The list may include some deceased veterans, Nicholson said.

The VA is alerting its members to the problem by sending individual letters to them and through normal publicity channels. The department is also opening a call center at (800) 333-4636 that can field up to 250,000 calls a day, Nicholson said. Additional information can be obtained on the Internet.

Veterans who have no reason to suspect they are victims of identity theft probably have no reason to call the call center, Nicholson said. The VA has no plans as yet to subsidize credit reports for veterans who believe their information may have fallen in the wrong hands.

Ellie

[sgt tony]

tell me that they just have not given the illigel Immigrants my SSN.
Well if he was going to work on it at home then the program is in his laptop

[fontman]

The VA Data Theft Debacle

Below received from my Marine brother Wayne, this morning. Passing on to all for information.

ALCON:

MizMarlene and I have talked about this current issue quite a bit.

She believes, as do many of us, there is much more to this issue than is currently being let out to the public.much deeper consequences.who might possibly get hold of the info.for what devious purposes.etc.

As I was putting out the Morning Mail Call a few moments ago, she stuck her head into the WAYMOR Inc Corporate Suite (one of our bedrooms where our "office" operates from).came up with a GRRRRRR8 idea.

FULLY IDENTIFY the individual who "lost" the records! Put photo, full name, address, phone number, Social Security Number, DOB, and any other info on that person (that was available to others in OUR RECORDS) out to the public.so that WE VETERANS and others will not only know who this person is, but that WE VETERANS and that person are now on an even playing field!

So, if someone would kindly research the issue a little further.come up with a good Email and/or snail mail address (or addresses) that will get to the right folks, figure the best way to run an EMail petition (not the cumbersome manner in which so many do), let us know and we'll get it going!

As I've often said over the years, never tick off the Female of the Breed!!!!

Semper Fi,

Wayne V. Morris
Col USMC (Ret)
WAYMOR Inc.
PO Box 232
Jacksonville, NC 28541-0232
Email: waymor@bizec.rr.com

[booksbenji]

:evilgrin: :mad: http://www.thesquadbay.com/forum2/Smileys/default/icon_thumright.gif

[SemperFin]

"Veterans who have no reason to suspect they are victims of identity theft probably have no reason to call the call center, Nicholson said. The VA has no plans as yet to subsidize credit reports for veterans who believe their information may have fallen in the wrong hands."

You would assume that they would at least work with the 3 major credit centers to set up a "special" credit watch for an extended period of time for those who asked for it. It's the least they could do for making such a greivous error and then waiting for 19 days before making it public. I'm with sgt tony in hoping that some illegal isn't running around with my SSN screwing up my life.

[thedrifter]

Sent to me from hubby...thefontman.... <br />
<br />
Ellie <br />
<br />
Veterans Chief Voices Anger on Data Theft <br />
By DAVID STOUT <br />
The New York Times <br />
<br />
WASHINGTON, May 24 - Jim Nicholson, the secretary of veterans...

[al20852]

It isan't enough to just say you are sorry. They should pay Particularly since with proper security, stealing a computer or its hard drive is merely stealing a pile of metal and plastic. I have a government computer, and I have to either enter a complex password or use a fingerprint reader. Otherwise you cant access the hard drive.

Apparently the VA never heard of this or of encrypting data.

[ggyoung]

Bank routing numbers and bank account numbers are on your SSNs on file. Any thing else to worry about?

[jryanjack]

An organization that my wife belongs to had something similiar happen, with a couple exceptions - they only had names and addresses, no SSN's or DOB's. That organization - to which she pays an annual dues to - is voluntarily providing a year of free credit monitoring. No one had to tell them or ask them to do this, they announced it at the same time they announced the data loss.

Guess we didn't pay enough for that kind of consideration and protection.

[FistFu68]

:evilgrin: WHY IN THE HELL,OR HOW IN THE HELL,WOULD AN EMPLOYEE OF (VA.) BE ABLE 2 SNEAK OUT,OR STEAL ALL THAT INFO.?WHAT IS THE REAL MOTIVATION BEHIND THIS,BREECH OF SECURITY~AND THEN A CONVENIENT,BURGLARY? SMOKING~MIRROR'S??? :evilgrin:

[booksbenji]

An employee, unauthorized, took a laptop home and his home was burglarized. first paragraph:evilgrin: last sentence

[CAS3]

Please remember, the VA does have protocols and procedures in place however, this one individual made the error in judgement. He committed a federal crime and I am sure he will be prosecuted.
When you become a VA employee, you sign a "contract" in regards to privacy issues.
All the VA software I am aware of, has password protection. I don't think your everyday home burglar is "intelligent" enough to figure out what he has or how to use it.

[ggyoung]

CAS3 Foe some reason I don't think that this was a "everyday home burglar"

[OLE SARG]

Sounds like it may have been an individual who KNEW WHAT HE WAS LOOKING FOR!!!!!! With our kinder and gentler USA, offender can expect a severe scolding and a slap on the wrist. Along with a warning that if you do this again, you will be scolded again and receive a second slap on the wrist. WE DON'T WANT TO OFFEND ANYONE, HEAVEN FORBID!!!!!!!!!!!1

SEMPER FI,

[FistFu68]

:evilgrin: THIS VA.EMPLOYEE HAS SAID HE HAS BEEN GETTING AWAY WITH THIS FOR THE LAST 3 YRS! NOTHING ELSE IN HOUSE WAS STOLEN,JEWERLY,STERLING SILVER,GUN'S IN CABINET!LAP TOP WAS IN DEN NOT IN OPEN!SHERLOCK HOLMES IM NOT~BUT I KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS! ASK GORDON LIDDY,OR VINCE FOSTER WHAT THEY THINK?OH FORGOT,VINCE HAD HIS BRAIN AIR~CONDITIONED~THE ONLY TALKIN HE'S DOIN IS ON THE OTHER SIDE! :evilgrin: