Personal data of 131,000 Guardsmen stolen

Published: Aug. 6, 2009 at 11:59 AM


Army National Guard officials say the personal data of nearly 131,000 current and former members of the U.S. military force has been stolen.

Guard officials said a laptop containing the information was stolen from a contractor at a conference in Atlanta on July 27, the Stars and Stripes said Thursday.

National Guard Bureau spokesman Randy Noller said there have been no reports the information on the stolen laptop has been compromised or used in criminal acts.

"At least for now, it just looks like somebody wanted to steal a laptop," Noller said. "There's no evidence that anything has been compromised, but we didn't want to wait to notify our members about the possible threat."

The personal information on the computer belonged to National Guard members enrolled in the Army National Guard Bonus and Incentives Program. Among the data were members' Social Security numbers, names, bonus amounts and payment dates.

Specific details regarding the theft of the laptop were not released, but police are investigating the theft.

The Stars and Stripes said Guardsmen whose information was on the computer are being contacted by the bureau via letters and e-mails.

More info: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?s...&article=64040