AUGUSTA, Maine — Letters are going out this week to 766 members of the Maine Army National Guard who are at risk of identity theft after a contractor for the federal National Guard Bureau had a laptop stolen.
“There was a laptop containing personal information of roughly 131,000 soldiers nationwide who are enrolled in a bonus incentives program that was stolen at a conference,” said Peter Rogers, deputy commissioner of Maine’s Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management. “At this point we are trying to identify exactly who they are and letters will be sent telling them what they can do to protect their identity.”
He said the theft is under investigation and federal officials do not know if the stolen information will be used by identity thieves. He said it is possible the laptop was simply stolen, and not stolen to obtain the confidential information it held.
“That’s all part of the ongoing investigation,” he said. “But, we have to assume that the information can be used to steal someone’s identity.”
A federal National Guard Bureau spokesman said the type of data includes names, Social Security numbers, incentive payment amounts and payment dates. Rogers said all of that information could be used to steal a person’s identity and the National Guard wants soldiers to know what steps to take to protect their identity.
“They have set up a Web site [www.ng.mil] and a toll-free number [877-481-4957] that soldiers can call to find out about how to check their credit report for suspicious activity and what to do about it,” he said.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said with all of the publicity about data theft and several hearings held in Congress on the issue in recent years, it is disturbing that confidential data may have once again been stolen.
“Federal managers and government contractors must recognize that they are stewards of large amounts of personal data on law-abiding citizens, and that they must guard this information wisely or lose the people’s trust,” she said. “It is imperative that companies, organizations and the government take the steps necessary to protect sensitive information in order to prevent these terrible personal violations.”
Collins held hearings in 2006 when she chaired the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on a data breach at the Veterans Administration. She said another data breach contributes to a public perception that the government is not doing all it can to protect their private information.
Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, is a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee and participated in House hearings on the 2006 data breach. He said he is upset that lessons apparently were not learned from that incident and the hearings that followed.
“Although I appreciate the efforts in response to this crisis, an existing structure of information security should have been in place to prevent the loss of data,” he said. “This incident has exposed a deficiency in the security protocols of the Army National Guard for handling sensitive data.”
Michaud said he will work with other lawmakers to see what else Congress may have to do to protect the personal information of service members and veterans.
Collins said even with the efforts of the National Guard Bureau to help those potentially affected by the data breach, it will cause problems for the hundreds of Maine Guard members and the thousands nationwide and their families.
The National Guard Bureau Web site provides steps on how to check credit reports, how to guard against identity theft and who to call if a Guard member believes any fraudulent activity occurs with his or her personal information.