Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Issues Issues Information Bulletin Related to the VA Laptop Theft

Washington, D.C. - The FBI, along with the National White Collar Crime Center, has recently posted an information bulletin related to the VA laptop theft on the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website at www.ic3.gov. As reported last month, the theft of a laptop from an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) raises the possibility for the compromise of data on this laptop which could expose veterans to identity theft. To date, the FBI is unaware of any schemes used to exploit the information contained in the laptop, but as a precaution, the FBI is warning veterans of the possibility for fraudsters to seize on the opportunity in other ways.

We encourage anyone with questions to visit this site and click on the banner showing "VA Bulletin." There are associated questions to be completed by anyone who feels he/she may have already been the victim of a related scheme.

We would also like to caution any veteran who might receive a suspicious communication requesting the concession of any type of personal information, whether the contact is received via telephone, e-mail, U.S. mail, fax, or in person. While the VA is sending out letters of advisement to many of the affected veterans, they are not sending out any form of questions soliciting the veteran to provide his/her personal data.