The Sun Herald | 06/08/2006 | Mississippi Guardmen should take precautions due to stolen information

The Sun Herald | 06/08/2006 | Mississippi Guardmen should take precautions due to stolen information: "JACKSON - Mississippi National Guard soldiers and airmen should monitor credit card statements, checking accounts and credit reports in the wake of a massive theft of soldiers' personal information from a Veterans Affairs employee, Guard officials say.

The Veterans Administration said last month that a laptop stolen from an employee contained the personal information of thousands of veterans, but a new disclosure warns that almost all military personnel -- active, Guard and Reserve -- could be affected.

No identity theft related to the security breach has been reported, the U.S. Department of Defense said.

'I think we should take a common sense approach and monitor credit card statements, and perform regular checks on credit reports and banking accounts,' said Lt. Col. Tim Powell, a Mississippi Guard spokesman.

Powell told The Associated Press that the Defense Department is working to notify anyone who may be at risk of identity theft."