Washington – The federal government is warning every living veteran discharged since 1975 to watch banking and credit card statements closely after sensitive personal data on all 26.5 million of them was stolen this month.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson acknowledged Monday that the information was stolen from the home of a department analyst who wasn’t authorized to remove it from the office. The analyst has been put on leave.
Privacy experts say the theft is one of the largest breaches of identity security ever. The stolen data includes Social Security numbers and birth dates. Information on some veterans’ spouses also was compromised.
The information could be used to open fraudulent credit- card accounts without the veterans’ knowledge, said Susanna Montezemolo, a policy analyst with the Consumers Union.
“The Social Security number is the master key to your financial well-being,” she said.
The data also includes information on veterans who filed claims before 1975, said Matthew Burns, a VA spokesman.
VA officials could not say Tuesday how many of the estimated half-million Colorado veterans were affected by the data theft.
Though Burns said veterans should closely watch their financial statements for unauthorized transactions, Nicholson said there were no signs criminals have used the data.
He also said the burglary appeared to be random.
Veterans with concerns about
the stolen information can call 800-FED-INFO or visit www.firstgov.gov or www.va.gov.
