Latest personal information data theft leaves 26 Million Veterans wondering what to do

May 26, 2006 --(UPDATE 7/23/09: for more information on this topic, see http://www.veteransclass.com/

The United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has reported in the last few days that a laptop containing personal identifying information on over 26 million US veterans was stolen in a burglary a few weeks ago.

The VA has set up a call center for veterans who have questions about the episode. The number is 1-800-FED INFO (1-800-333-4636).

(UPDATE 7/23/09: for more information on this topic, see http://www.veteransclass.com/ )

The theft appears to be a simple burglary, and it is too early to tell if the stolen information will be used for illegal purposes. However, if you are concerned that you may become a victim of identity theft because of this theft, you may put a fraud alert on your credit report.

To put a fraud alert on your credit reports, contact one of the 3 national credit reporting agencies:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, Texas 75013 TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Since identity theft can follow the initial data theft by several years, it may also be prudent to consider enrolling in credit monitoring service which will monitor the activity in your credit report and notify you of things like new accounts opened and inquiries into your credit report.

For more information on identity theft including our identity theft kit, please visit us at http://www.creditreporting.com/id-theft-kit.html