Va Announces Theft Of Data On 26 Million Veterans

[Guest DON20906]

VA Secretary Nicholson just concluded a conference call with major veterans' and military service organizations to tell them that a VA data analyst took home the names, social security numbers and dates of birth on over 26 million veterans and others to work from home. The data analyst's home was burglarized and the computer and/or storage media containing the data was stolen. Local police, the FBI and VA's Inspector General believe the burglars were after computer harddware and do not know what they have. VA is going public with this in a press release later today.

Edited May 22, 2006 by DON20906

[john999]

I was watching the CBS news and they said vets discharged since 1977 were the ones involved. I did not think there were that many vets that were discharged since 77. This whole thing is beginning to stink because the only thing stolen from the VA employee's house was the computer with the Vet records.

[hollywoodnc]

When I worked at the local VARO, I was aware of ONE person that worked from home. There was a push to have more people "Work from Home"...a some sort of Telecommuting Program.

This is UNEXCEPTABLE, and this recent event just supports this!

If the VA want's to catch up on claims, they need to get their lazy asses in gear and start a SWING SHIFT!

[mssoup1]

Well, if the thieves didn't know before what they had, they sure will know now. What could one person be doing that would require them to have this type of information on their laptop on every veteran at one time?

We cannot even get the VA to give the veteran access to his own information, yet they allow one person access to take home this type of information on all veterans.

I am totally astounded that the VA could even allow this to happen.

Earlier this month, I was sent a new debit card from my bank, with a letter, stating that my account was being monitored due to possible fraud of some kind. They stated that there were certain accounts within the bank, along with certain accounts in a few other banks that were being monitored due to the possbility of fraud occurring on those accounts. I'm not a veteran, but I am a spouse of one. I don't think that there is any connection here with the stolen info from the VA, but it goes to show you never know what is happening behind your back. So far, as far as I know, there has not been any fraud activity going on with the old debit card number, but I will probably never know since I de-activated that card and now have a new one.

Not enough in everyday life to have to worry about and now we have just had a monster dumped in our laps.

mssoup1

[Wings]

NAME, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER and DOB - - that's all the information needed to steal an identity?! How bizzare, and how very unoriginal. Can't the feds develop something more secure than a 9 digit system?! No, of course not, that would make it too hard for crooks to steal the moeny! Everytime I have to give my SSN for every day business, I laugh to myself thinking how I'm stupid and vulnerable this system really is. I'm as vulnerable as the system is designed to be. Maybe they created the social security system FOR crooks; after all, it's pretty dang simple to steal from people this way! You might as well be giving your money away for free! And, unless your rich and powerful, you simply can't get away from it . . ~Wings

[Wings]

Not worth a reply.

Not worth a reply.

QUOTE (Wings @ May 22 2006, 02:35 PM) Stupid VA. How could they allow some one person take home this "disk'? The employee probably never had a security clearance in his life . . . ~Wings

HINDSIGHT 20/20

May 22, 2006 - - The Department of Veterans Affairs has directed all VA employees complete the "VA Cyber Security Awareness Training Course" and complete the separate "General Employee Privacy Awareness Course" by June 30, 2006. In addition, the Department of Veterans Affairs will immediately be conducting an inventory and review of all current positions requiring access to sensitive VA data and require all employees requiring access to sensitive VA data to undergo an updated National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) and/or a Minimum Background Investigation (MBI) depending on the level of access required by the responsibilities associated with their position. http://www.firstgov.gov/veteransinfo

VA Office of Inspector General

Office of Investigations News Releases

http://www.va.gov/oig/51/news.htm

[hollywoodnc]

Dear Fellow Veterans & Friends.

Stealing all of our personal informaton is one way to get offsets of our VA comp without congressional approval.

The VA does not have bank accounts on allot of vets. Without that how could the crooks know where to acess the bank accounts. For those who have direct deposit. Was that informaton included with the personal informaton stolen?

Terry Higgins

Terry...

The VA DOES have your Direct Deposit info in your C-file! Question is, if any of these thieves do an inquiry on your account (using your name, SS number, & birthdate) your account is susceptible to THEFT!

Assuming the information given is accurate, the thieves responsible for this act, are within a few steps of knowing who you are, and what your net worth is. Any "Pro" can make the necessary changes required to profit.

Even if your information is not interfered with, this just makes it more difficult to access your personal info from here on in! The VA will make sure to that.

The bottom line...WE ALL SUFFER FROM THIS CRAP!