Departments Team Up to Help California's Veterans Avoid Identity Theft; Identity Theft Prevention Workshops to Be Held for California Veterans in the Wake of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Loss of Data for 26.5 Million Veterans.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) and the California Department of Veterans Affairs (CDVA) are organizing a statewide series of workshops to provide crucial identity theft prevention information to California's veterans in the wake of last month's loss of data belonging to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA).

The USDVA learned that an employee took home electronic data containing the names, Social Security numbers, birth dates and other personal information of 26.5 million veterans and more than two million active duty, National Guard and Reserve personnel. There are more than 2.2 million veterans in California and the data included information on many of those California veterans. The data was stored on a laptop computer, which was among several items stolen in a residential burglary.

CDVA, working with DCA and its California Office of Privacy Protection (COPP), immediately began working to ensure that California's veterans are made aware of the things they can do now to prevent identity theft and protect their privacy.

"California has some of the strongest privacy protection laws in the country, and the nation's first Office of Privacy Protection," said Rosario Marin, Secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency. "We are uniquely positioned to help California's veterans reduce their risk of identity theft."

"This information is crucial to our veterans," said CDVA Secretary Thomas Johnson. "I want to make sure that we get the word out to as many California veterans as possible that there are steps they can and should be taking right now to minimize their risk."

"The California Office of Privacy Protection has created a special presentation for California veterans that we will be taking to several cities over the next few weeks," said DCA Director Charlene Zettel. "It includes information specific to veterans and gives them concrete steps to keep would-be identity thieves at bay."

CDVA has been instrumental in contacting various veterans' groups throughout California so that the workshops can be scheduled to reach the maximum number of veterans. COPP staff have already been to several veterans' conventions to present written information and to answer questions because CDVA worked diligently with those groups to make urgent arrangements to include a COPP presence and information.

Each presentation will take about an hour, with plenty of time afterward for questions and answers.

The first will be held Tuesday, June 13 at 10 a.m. at the Department of Consumer Affairs headquarters at 1625 N. Market Blvd., in the First Floor Hearing Room.

The following additional workshops have also been scheduled:

June 14 Lafayette   - 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. - Veterans Memorial Bldg.,
                                           3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
June 14 Santa Maria - 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.  - City Council Chambers
                                           110 East Cook St.
June 15 Los Angeles - 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. - Bob Hope Patriotic Hall,
                                           1816 S. Figueroa St.
June 16 San Diego   - 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. - San Diego State Building,
                                           1350 Front St.
June 16 Fresno      - 7 p.m.             - VFW Post 8900,
                                           3585 North Blythe Ave.
June 17 Clovis      - 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. - Clovis Veterans Memorial
                                            Bldg.,
                                           453 Hughes Ave.

DCA and CDVA are working to schedule more workshops throughout the sate in coming days. To see the latest schedule of workshops, visit the Department of Consumer Affairs Web site at www.dca.ca.gov, or the California Department of Veterans Affairs Web site at www.cdva.ca.gov.