Personal Security and Identity Theft Expert Offers Advice and Solutions to Combat this Week's Laptop Burglary That Put Millions of U.S. Veterans' Identities at Risk
Robert Siciliano, a personal security and identity theft expert, responds to this week's laptop theft of 26.5 million U.S. veterans' personal information.

/Public Sec. and Government News Articles/ - BOSTON, MA, May 26, 2006 - (IDTheftSecurity.com) This week's laptop theft of 26.5 million U.S. veterans' personal information may have endangered not only individuals' bank accounts, but also national security. Robert Siciliano, personal security and identity theft expert, said a service available to everyday consumers can mitigate the aftermath they might otherwise have to endure. Also president of IDTheftSecurity.com, Siciliano added that a simple fix available from a major office supplies retailer, could have helped to ensure the security of the stolen laptop in the first place.

Siciliano had advice for companies and other large organizations that store sensitive information on laptops, machines prone to theft: Make sure the machines are fully secure with functionalities designed to ward off thieves. He suggested the use of Staples WordLock for laptop computers, a simple and inexpensive product that allows users to employ a letter password, which they can reset at any time, to lock their laptop computers.

"Laptops are the last place any organization should be storing the personal identifying information of 26.5 million people," said Siciliano, who presents workshops to Fortune 500 companies nationwide. "But the least a company can do is to keep those laptops in a safe place and locked down when authorized personnel aren't using them."

Author of "The Safety Minute: 01," Siciliano provides consumer education solutions to Fortune 500 companies and their clients. Siciliano has appeared on CNBC's "On the Money" multiple times this year to discuss identity theft.

"This week we have heard officials of all stripes assure us that 'we have no reason to believe anyone's identity is at risk,'" said Siciliano. "Those words represent the party line we typically hear when a security breakdown of this magnitude occurs. But I urge consumers to treat this very real threat to their identities like the emergency it is—luckily, one they can manage."

Siciliano encouraged all those on the list of 26.5 million affected by this week's laptop theft to immediately enroll in IdentitySweep, a service that manages subscribers' public records while monitoring their credit card information and Social Security numbers. Veterans can go to http://www.identitysweep.com/vet and receive a full year's worth of IdentitySweep for only $18, a discounted rate, from MyPublicInfo, the Arlington, VA consumer identity protection company that created the service.

"The Social Security number is the key to the kingdom," Siciliano concluded. "A service like IdentitySweep will help a veteran keep track of what's being done with his or her most valuable piece of personal identifying information. Without a monitoring service of their own to fall back on, veterans will be at the mercy of credit companies' good will, which is likely to wane after the usual offer we've seen following massive data breaches: pro bono credit monitoring for one year."

Press Release Contact Information:

Robert Siciliano
IDTheftSecurity.com
President
P.O. Box 15145
Boston, MA
United States 02215
Voice: 888-742-4542
Fax: 877-232-9669
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