Have you Military and Retirees already put a "lock" on your credit reports???

Posted just in case you've not heard of the recent VA stolen data.
More related info was posted on alt.military.retired

the story:

Accountability Sought in Theft of VA Data
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/...tml?ESRC=eb.nl

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers from both parties said Wednesday the Bush
administration should provide money and take responsibility for the data
security breach involving nearly all active-duty military, Guard and Reserve
members.

Senate Democrats demanded the ouster of Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim
Nicholson following the agency's disclosure that personal information for
2.2 million military personnel was stolen from a VA employee on May 3. The
figure at first was claimed to be 50,000.

"It's amazing. Such incompetence is worse than anything I've ever seen in
six administrations," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said at a news briefing.
"At some point, this administration has got to stop saying we'll hire or
appoint political cronies, but we'll actually appoint somebody who knows how
to make the government work."

Some 150 Democrats urged President Bush to request money to provide free
credit monitoring for the 26.5 million veterans and military personnel now
at risk for identity theft.

"These records were stolen more than a month ago, and we're still figuring
out what information was lost?" asked Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va. His House
Government Reform Committee planned a hearing Thursday, with Nicholson
scheduled to testify. "We need to hear a good explanation for why that is."

White House spokeswoman Erin Healy said Bush had yet to receive the letter
from the House Democrats. The VA has said it is in discussions with
credit-monitoring services to determine how best to aid those at risk from
the theft.

Nicholson said Tuesday that the agency was mistaken when it said over the
weekend that up to 50,000 Navy and National Guard personnel were among the
26.5 million veterans whose names, birth dates and Social Security numbers
were stolen from the data analyst's home.

The number is actually much higher because the VA realized it had records on
file for most active-duty personnel who are eligible to receive VA benefits
such as GI Bill educational assistance and the home loan guarantee program.

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., asked the Pentagon to brief his Armed Services
Committee on Thursday about the breach.

House Democrats told Bush that military personnel should get one free credit
report each year as well as credit monitoring.

"The federal government has a duty to ensure that the financial health of
our nation's veterans and military families is not harmed as a result of
this most unfortunate event," they wrote.

Veterans groups have criticized the VA for a three-week delay in publicizing
the May 3 burglary. Five groups filed a class-action lawsuit this week in
Washington seeking $1,000 in damages for violations of privacy for each
military personnel affected - up to $26.5 billion total.

The VA disclosed the burglary May 22, saying it involved the names, birth
dates and Social Security numbers - and in some cases, disability codes - of
veterans discharged since 1975. Since then, the department has acknowledged
that phone numbers and addresses of many of those veterans may have been
included.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said her offices phones have been ringing off
the hook with calls from veterans losing faith in the VA. She cited the
years of warnings by the agency's inspector general that security access
controls were weak.

"frOg" wrote in message
news:n24ig.7173$Id2.4957@trnddc03...


Posted just in case you've not heard of the recent VA stolen data.
More related info was posted on alt.military.retired


How you can protect yourself in the wake of the "VA snafu":

http://www.military.com/MilitaryRepo...SRC=miltrep.nl