Military and Civilians At Risk for Identity Theft After Security Breach Occurs

A laptop computer storing information regarding the personal records of the military, some 42,000, was stolen over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, resulting in a security breach involving Social Security numbers, addresses, dates of birth, credit card information, and other personally identifiable information on those enrolled (or those who had been enrolled) in the army.

The theft occurred over the Thanksgiving holiday from an employee’s house in Clermont, Florida. The laptop was in the employee’s hands for a remote training course, and it has not yet been considered that any protocol was breached by having the laptop in his possession.

A letter was sent to those who may have been affected, which included information on how to protect themselves from the possibility of identity theft with credit monitoring and identity theft protection services. It is suggested that those who have been contacted via letter from the Army take measures to protect and guard against any detrimental actions that may be taken on their financial and personal records.