Warning letters are going out to Iowans about a colossal case of theft. Nearly 6,700 Iowans’ personal records are in the hands of thieves who stole computer equipment from a contractor handling healthcare for the government. As a result, letters are on the way to those military members, retirees and their families warning that someone has their social security numbers, birthdates, addresses, and in some cases their medical records. All were stored on the eqipment taken from Phoenix-based TriWest Healthcare Alliance. Authorities worry about identity theft or other abuse of all that sensitive information, which also includes records of thousands in Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado and Kansas.
