AF spends $2K to notify blood donors of security lapse

The Air Force spent $2,000 to send letters to 3,800 people their names and Social Security numbers went missing temporarily after a blood drive at Wright-Patterson Medical Center, according to base officials.

The 88th Medical Group recently sent the mailings when a notebook containing sign-in sheets with the personal data was misplaced, officials have said. The notebook was apparently dropped behind a chair in a restricted-access conference room the day of the blood drive and discovered the next morning.

In statement last week, the base said the notebook should have been kept in a locked container when not in use.

The blood drive was July 16.

The military took “administrative sanctions” against the person or persons responsible for the mix-up, but would not release what those actions were and how many people it took that action against. A base statement said the actions are “generally considered personal information and not releasable.”

In a statement Tuesday to the Dayton Daily News, the base said the 88th Medical Group has changed procedures to avoid a re-occurrence. They included revising a supervisor’s blood donor checklist to note the location of the information, who signs the personal data information in and out of custody, and noting when it is downloaded from either a blood donor center or a mobile computer.

The medical center has said officials do not believe the information was compromised given the short amount of time it was misplaced. However, the Air Force has designated a person as a point of contact and directed donors to a Federal Trade Commission website on how to detect, avoid and handle identity theft.

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