Comments on: Stolen VA laptop recovered; no identity theft reported http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/ Protect yourself from government gaffes, bureaucratic blunders and incumbent incompetence Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:25:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Thieves target government records for identity theft - Homeland Stupidity http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9980 Thieves target government records for identity theft - Homeland Stupidity Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:27:06 +0000 http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9980 [...] And if you thought the troubles with the Veterans Administration losing veterans’ personal data were over, think again. The VA is missing a portable hard drive which may have contained as many as 48,000 veterans’ records, and believes it may have been stolen. The drive, which was used for making backups, went missing Jan. 22 from a VA facility in Birmingham, Ala. Last May, a VA laptop containing some 26 million veterans’ records was stolen from an employee’s home. The laptop was recovered a month later. [...] [...] And if you thought the troubles with the Veterans Administration losing veterans’ personal data were over, think again. The VA is missing a portable hard drive which may have contained as many as 48,000 veterans’ records, and believes it may have been stolen. The drive, which was used for making backups, went missing Jan. 22 from a VA facility in Birmingham, Ala. Last May, a VA laptop containing some 26 million veterans’ records was stolen from an employee’s home. The laptop was recovered a month later. [...]

]]> By: Bill Foster http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9979 Bill Foster Thu, 29 Jun 2006 23:37:09 +0000 http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9979 Michael: Do you think that we would be informed if the database HAD been copied? Based on the track record of the VA and the FBI, I doubt we'd be told. Michael: Do you think that we would be informed if the database HAD been copied? Based on the track record of the VA and the FBI, I doubt we’d be told.

]]> By: Michael Hampton http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9978 Michael Hampton Thu, 29 Jun 2006 18:34:13 +0000 http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9978 Well, since the forensics people say that the data wasn't accessed, it's fairly reasonable to think that it wasn't. (This is something that can generally be checked in seconds.) It's likely the data came from some <em>other</em> security breach, and there are plenty of them to choose from. Well, since the forensics people say that the data wasn’t accessed, it’s fairly reasonable to think that it wasn’t. (This is something that can generally be checked in seconds.) It’s likely the data came from some other security breach, and there are plenty of them to choose from.

]]> By: ravin http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9977 ravin Thu, 29 Jun 2006 18:04:59 +0000 http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/06/29/stolen-va-laptop-recovered-no-identity-theft-reported/#comment-9977 <i>"... but did note that no cases of identity theft had been reported among the people whose data was on the laptop."</i> Really? Because I have a friend, who's very likely in that database (active duty military serving his second tour in Iraq, i.e. veteran) who just had his info hijacked. Luckily he and his wife caught it quickly. Yeah, it could be just coincidence, but saying no cases if identity theft were reported by people in that database is kind of inaccurate. “… but did note that no cases of identity theft had been reported among the people whose data was on the laptop.”

Really? Because I have a friend, who’s very likely in that database (active duty military serving his second tour in Iraq, i.e. veteran) who just had his info hijacked. Luckily he and his wife caught it quickly.

Yeah, it could be just coincidence, but saying no cases if identity theft were reported by people in that database is kind of inaccurate.

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