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Press Release
For Immediate Release
November 01, 2006 |
Contact: Joe Soldevere
212-860-0606 |
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Veterans Again At Risk for Identity Theft, This Time NY Vets May Be Most in Jeopardy |
| Rep. Maloney expresses outrage over VA’s bungling of yet another missing computer |
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NEW YORK, NY – Veterans in the New York area, and perhaps elsewhere, have begun receiving notifications from the Veterans Administration about the possibility that they could be victims of identity theft due to yet another missing VA computer (letter to veterans). Personal data of veterans – including names, Social Security numbers and medical diagnoses – may have been compromised when a computer went missing from the Manhattan VA hospital on September 6.
The VA apparently only just recently sent letters notifying affected veterans. In its notice, the VA says free credit monitoring for those affected “should be available within the next month,” and it encourages the veterans to obtain a free credit report. Earlier this year, the VA faced scrutiny when laptops went missing in two separate incidents that put in jeopardy the identities of millions of veterans. Today, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens) chastised the Department of Veterans Affairs for its continuing failure to secure personal data and for waiting more than six weeks to notify New York City veterans. “This is not the kind of Halloween trick that our veterans want,” Maloney said. “The VA seems to be mishandling this situation at every step of the way – first they lost yet another computer, then they waited almost two months to tell veterans that their identities might be at risk. When is the VA finally going to get serious about protecting veterans’ personal data?” ### |
