Online thieves stole information from well-known figures, including Vice President Joe Biden, first lady Michelle Obama, the FBI director, Los Angeles police chief, and celbrities like Beyonce, Mel Gibson Ashton Kutcher, and others according to a report by NBC News.
A web site, which uses the domain name, ".su," representing the old Soviet Union posted what appears to be credit reports and other personal information. While "some of the information, it turns out, is out of date, other data appears to be accurate. All this information can be bought online from commercially available websites, experts say, once someone's Social Security number and date of birth are known," NBC reported.
The FBI and Secret Service continue to investigate the web site whose existence was first revealed on Monday, and as of Tuesday, was still online They believe the information was another example of identity theft, which has become pervasive in the modern age.
There is no indication that anyone has tried to use any of their private information. Credit report agency Equifax said that a report of some of the individuals were accessed through annualcreditreports.com, a website it owns with Experian and TransUnion.
"Equifax can confirm that fraudulent and unauthorized access to four consumer credit reports has occurred through the AnnualCreditReport.com channel, a free public service that allows all consumers to get annual access to their credit report," the company said in a statement and published with NBCNews.com. "Our initial investigation shows the perpetrators had the (personal information) of the individuals whose files were accessed and were therefore able to pass the required authentication measures in place. We have launched a full investigation into this matter and we are also working closely with law enforcement authorities on this matter."
None of the people targeted by the website have yet come forward to comment on the accuracy of their personal information exposed, according to the Associated Press.
Among other victims of identity theft include former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, as well as, celebrities Mel Gibson, Kim Kardashian, and Paris Hilton.
