AFPC notifies Airmen of criminal activity

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RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  The Air Force is notifying more than 33,000 Airmen that a security breach has occurred in the online Assignment Management System.

The notification comes after Air Force Personnel Center officials here alerted Air Force and federal investigators to unusually high activity on a single user's AMS account in June.

AMS, an online program used for assignment preferences and career management, contains career information on officers and enlisted Airmen, as well as some personal information such as birth dates and Social Security numbers, said Col. Lee Hall, director of assignments at AFPC. It does not contain personal addresses, phone numbers or specific information about family members.

A malicious user accessed about half of the officer force's individual information, while only a handful of noncommissioned officers were affected, said Lt. Col. John Clarke, AFPC's deputy director of personnel data systems. The individual used a legitimate user's login information to access and/or download Airmen’s personal information.

"We notified Airmen as quickly as we could while still following criminal investigation procedures with the (Office of Special Investigations)," said Maj. Gen. Anthony F. Przybyslawski, AFPC commander. "Protecting Airmen's personal information is something we take very seriously, and we are doing everything we can to catch and prosecute those responsible under the law.

"We notified the individuals involved, outlining what happened and how they can best insulate themselves from this potential risk," the general said. "We've taken steps to increase our system security. We're working with all Air Force agencies to identify vulnerabilities. We must keep our data protected."

In the meantime, AFPC officials said officers may login to the virtual military personnel flight at www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/vs/ to see if their information was viewed. If it was, they will receive a pop-up banner after login which will provide additional information.

The small number of enlisted Airmen who have had their information viewed will be contacted directly. Airmen may also go online to www.afpc.randolph.af.mil and click on “AMS Information” to determine if their personal information was viewed.

Officials also said Airmen may decide to follow Federal Trade Commission guidelines for dealing with identity theft at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/index.html.

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, beginning Sept. 1, everyone is entitled to one free credit check annually. To request this free report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com/.

Any Airman who believes he or she has become a victim of identity theft should contact the local base OSI and legal office. (Courtesy of Air Force Personnel Center Public Affairs)