Veterans on alert about ID theft

Veterans on alert about ID theft

By Justin McIntosh and Connie Cartmell, The Marietta Times
**I can't be the only one that finds this a little odd. How DID one man get access to ALL of those records? And WHY would he bring them home? There's something else going on here....EG:) **

Area veterans are being cautioned to take steps to protect their identities after news broke Monday that personal data, including Social Security numbers of 26.5 million U.S. veterans, was stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee this month. The employee took the information home without authorization.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson told The Associated Press that there was no evidence so far that the burglars who struck the employee’s home have used the personal data — or even know they have it. The employee, a data analyst whom Nicholson would not identify, has been placed on leave pending a review.

Roy Ash, Washington County veterans service officer, said he doesn’t know if any local veterans were included in the stolen information, but still cautioned local veterans to protect their own identity until more is known about the theft.

“Any time your Social Security number’s out there and your address is out there there’s a problem,” said Ash, who received an e-mail from the VA Monday alerting him about the theft.

“It certainly lends itself to identity theft. (But) I don’t think we’re going to know the ramifications of it until something happens.”

On Monday, the VA said it was notifying members of Congress and the individual veterans about the burglary. It also set up a call center at 1-800-FED-INFO and Web site, http://www.firstgov.gov, if veterans believe their information has been misused.

It also is stepping up its review of procedures for the use of personal data for many of its employees who telecommute as well as others who must sign disclosure forms showing they are aware of federal privacy laws and the consequences if they’re violated.

“We have a full-scale investigation,” Nicholson said to the AP, also adding that the FBI, local law enforcement and the VA inspector general were investigating. “I want to emphasize, there was no medical records of any veteran and no financial information of any veteran that’s been compromised.”

“We have decided that we must exercise an abundance of caution and make sure our veterans are aware of this incident,” he said in a conference call with reporters.

The theft of veterans’ names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth comes as the department has come under criticism for shoddy accounting practices and for falling short on the needs of veterans.

Last year, more than 260,000 veterans could not sign up for services because of cost-cutting. Audits also have shown the agency used misleading accounting methods and lacked documentation to prove its claimed savings.

Veterans advocates immediately expressed alarm.

“This was a very serious breach of security for American veterans and their families,” said Bob Wallace, executive director of Veterans for Foreign Wars, to the Associated Press. “We want the VA to show leadership, management and accountability for this breach.”

Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who is a Vietnam veteran, decried the breach and said he would introduce legislation to require the VA to provide credit reports to the veterans affected by the theft.

“This is no way to treat those who have worn the uniform of our country,” Kerry said in a statement to the AP. “Someone needs to be fired, the perpetrators need to be caught and the security system at the VA needs to be massively overhauled.”

Ash said the latest incident is not reflective of the way the entire VA office is run, but felt that anytime a government agency gets as big as the VA there’s a greater risk for problems.

“When you get a big, bureaucratic government, when they get as big as they are ... you spend more on management than the product you’re producing,” Ash said.

“Anytime you get something like that you know there’s going to be mismanagement and waste and abuse.”

Nicholson declined to comment on the specifics of the incident, which involved a mid-level career employee who had taken the information home to suburban Maryland — on disks, according to congressional sources who were briefed on the incident — to work on a department project.

The residential community had been a target of a series of burglaries and the employee was victimized earlier this month, according to the FBI in Baltimore, which was investigating the incident.

The material represents personal data of all living veterans who served and have been discharged since 1976, according to the department. The information was included in the veterans’ discharge summary that goes into a government database.

They were paying close attention to the breaking news at Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5108 in Marietta Monday, even downloading the story from the computer to read and pass around.

“I can’t imagine how one guy can get all those records,” Ronnie Davis, quartermaster, said. “It’s pretty stupid of our government to let this happen. It apparently went back to ’75, which tells me whoever took it might want the names and addresses of guys serving later, not us older ones.”

Davis thinks that stealing the data has everything to do with obtaining specific information about newer vets, even military serving now overseas. Some, he said, may have had prior service.

“My first thought was that the veterans administration has everybody’s name, even active duty. I can’t say for sure, but I would worry that whoever stole the data would have addresses now,” Davis said.

His concern is less for older vets, more for the younger ones, but he said every single veteran should be checking his or her credit card records from now on.

“I don’t know what they could want, maybe addresses to harass families, or they’re going to send everybody’s family a letter or something. I’d hate to see a family get a stupid letter,” Davis said.

His own identity being theft or harassment to himself isn’t this veteran’s main concern.

“They can’t hurt me,” the Vietnam veteran said. “They know where I live and if they’ve got my bank account number, they aren’t going to get much.”

The Associated Press contributed