New Data Theft Places 38,000 Veterans at Risk of ID Theft
http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=3555

WASHINGTON, Aug. 9, 2006--The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is very concerned that the recent theft of a Department of Veterans Affairs contractor’s computer could place up to 38,000 Pennsylvania veterans and others at great risk to identity theft and fraud.

This loss, when added to the May 3 theft—and later recovery—of computer data with personal information on 26.5 million veterans, military and family members, makes it even more imperative that Congress appropriate the necessary funding to provide everyone impacted with a one-year free credit monitoring service.

In the most recent incident, a VA contractor, Unisys Corporation, immediately notified the VA when a desktop computer was discovered missing on Aug. 3. Early indications are that the computer contained records on up to 38,000 veterans who had been treated at VA medical centers in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia over the past four years:


5,000 patients in Philadelphia;

11,000 in Pittsburgh;

2,000 other patients who are deceased;

And potentially 20,000 other veterans treated in Pittsburgh.

According to the VA, the computer is believed to contain unencrypted patients' names, addresses, Social Security numbers, birthdates, insurance information, military service dates, and veterans’ claims data that could include medical information. Unisys is under VA contract to collect from third-party medical insurance companies, and the password-required computer was in a secure Unisys facility in northern Virginia. Local and federal law enforcement officials are investigating the theft.

As a precaution, the VFW is recommending that Pennsylvania veterans, and those who reside in nearby states and are served by those two VA facilities, should contact one of the three largest national consumer credit bureaus (listed below) and place a free three-month fraud alert on their files. The other two companies will be automatically informed of the alert, which is renewable for free.


Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, www.equifax.com

Experian: 1-888-397-3742, www.experian.com

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289, www.transunion.com

The VFW is also asking everyone to share this information with older veterans who may not fully understand the ramifications of identity theft and fraud. The VA is working with Unisys to notify those veterans who may be affected and to create a free credit monitoring program.