WASHINGTON -- Federal and local officials reported yesterday that they have recovered a laptop computer and external hard drive - stolen May 3 from the Maryland home of a Department of Veterans Affairs employee - that contained the Social Security numbers of more than 26 million veterans and their spouses.
"A preliminary review of the equipment by computer forensic teams determined that the database remains intact and has not been accessed since it was stolen," the FBI said in a statement issued with the VA and the Montgomery County Police Department. "A thorough forensic examination is underway and the results will be shared as soon as possible."
Officials said a tipster who had seen posters advertising a $50,000 reward contacted a U.S. Park Police detective whom he knew from "a previous relationship."
"I don't think the person knew that this laptop was the laptop," said Dwight Pettiford, chief of the U.S. Park Police.
The Park Police contacted the Baltimore office of the FBI, which sent the laptop to the bureau's computer laboratory for investigation. FBI officials said the tipster has not been charged and probably was not the thief.
From the beginning, law enforcement officials have described the theft as a typical burglary, saying they did not think the VA data were targeted.
The news that the computer had been found brought cheers from members of Congress and veterans, who have been on guard for indications of identity theft.
"The news is wonderful for veterans and active-duty personnel," said Sen. Larry E. Craig, a Idaho Republican who is chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. "We are all holding our breath now for the FBI forensic analysis, which we hope will confirm that the data has not been compromised."
The announcement did little to quell anger about the lapse in security that led to the unidentified VA employee's taking the material home.
"The worst-case scenario may have been averted this time, but an even greater tragedy would be if this type [of] incident was allowed to happen again because of complacency in the workplace," said Joe Davis, a spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "Those who are entrusted with our nation's secrets and the personal information of its citizens must be held accountable when they fail to do their jobs."
Security experts said the recovery is unlikely to stem worries about identity theft, which the Federal Trade Commission estimates ensnares 10 million Americans a year in lengthy ordeals to clear their credit records.
