Envoy Newsbreak

Credit Bureau Services spokesperson Roxie Kracl provided advice to concerned veterans in today’s edition of the Columbus Telegram.

Envoy facilitated the interview with the newspaper after it was revealed that millions of veterans had their personal information compromised by a Veterans Affairs employee.

Here is the complete text of the article, reprinted from the Columbus Telegram.

By JIM OSBORN
Telegram Staff Writer

COLUMBUS - First of all, credit expert Roxie Kracl counsels anxious callers not to panic.

That’s the initial message Kracl has been getting out during dozens of calls from nervous military veterans unsettled by the recent revelation that personal information on 26.5 million veterans was stolen from a Veterans Affairs employee in early May.

While Kracl, who oversees Credit Bureau Services offices in Columbus, Fremont, Norfolk and Lincoln, cautions veterans not to be unduly alarmed, she also urges them to be vigilant in keeping an eye on personal financial matters.

People shouldn’t go right out and put a fraud alert on their credit report, but they should carefully watch monthly bank and credit card statements,” Kracl said. “The latest study showed that 69 percent of consumers don’t balance their statements.”

The personal information of millions of vets was stolen during a May 3 burglary in which a laptop computer and disks were stolen from a VA analyst’s home in Maryland. The stolen information, one of the nation’s largest security breaches, included Social Security numbers, birthdates and, in many cases, phone numbers and addresses.

The information stolen from the analyst’s home is the latest threat in a rising tide of identification theft, a problem that could cast a cloud over some veterans’ credit reports for years to come, Kracl said. Identification theft has grown by more than 500 percent in the last couple of years, she said.

Cases of identification theft can be found anywhere.

Kracl said she handled a recent case in which her firm was working to collect an overdue bill for a client in Aurora. A woman with stolen personal information had gone to the hospital in Aurora, ran up a large medical bill and failed to pay. The collection effort showed up on a California woman’s credit report. Trouble was, the California woman had never been to Nebraska.

“It’s just horrible what people have to go through to clear things up,” Kracl said. “A thief could use (a credit card obtained with stolen personal information) for a year. The thieves then resell the information to other thieves.”

Staying alert is step one.

Kracl prods jittery veterans who have called CBS offices to be watchful of their mail. Mail that arrives under someone else’s name, such as a credit card offer, and monthly financial statements should be scrutinized closely, she said.

Consumers should keep all receipts and check them off their monthly credit card and bank statements, Kracl said.

Consumers should also call the toll-free number (877) 322-8228 to obtain free copies of their credit reports from the three reporting agencies, TransUnion, Experian and Equifax. If consumers are confused by their credit reports - some can be dozens of pages long - personnel from the bureau’s Columbus and other offices will provide assistance.

People need to make sure that all the inquiries on their credit reports match up with their financial transactions, Kracl said. Being more mindful of monthly financial activity can help avoid a shock at the bank or the local car dealership, she said.

Most people don’t deal with their credit report information until they’re at the loan officer’s desk to buy a home or a new vehicle, Kracl said.

“They find out (there’s a problem) when they’re denied credit.”