By Mark Scott
Washington, DC – US Senator Charles Schumer is calling for stronger computer security at federal agencies.
He estimates as many as 350,000 veterans from upstate New York are at risk for identity theft after a laptop computer containing sensitive information was stolen from a Pentagon official. Schumer says hundreds of veterans have contacted his office.
He says federal agencies must be held accountable.
"If, God forbid, this theft creates a problem for any individual, and they lose money or their credit rating is impaired, we ask the Veterans Administration itself to make the person whole and to retsore any money that had been ripped off -- no matter how little or how much," Schumer said.
Schumer says he is sponsoring legislation that makes it a federal offense to seize, use or transmit any personal information stored in government databases without authorization.