Note to Supervisors: Please ensure that employees without access to electronic mail receive a paper copy of this message.

March 10, 2005

Memorandum

To: All DOI Employees

From: Debra E. Sonderman

Director, Office of Acquisition and Property Management

Senior Procurement Executive

Subject: Update on Department of the Interior Charge Card Accounts

As you are aware, we recently learned that computer backup tapes containing customer account information for Interior government charge cardholders were among a Bank of America shipment of data tapes identified as missing in late December.

The law enforcement investigation is continuing, but so far, there is no evidence to suggest that the information was stolen, nor that it has been accessed or used in any way. The whereabouts of the tapes is unknown and they are presumed lost. We are continuing to work closely with the bank on this situation. The purpose of this message is to update you on what actions are being taken by Bank of America.

· An initial letter dated February 25, 2005 was mailed to cardholders whose information was included on the missing tapes.

· A second letter dated March 3, 2005 was sent out to cardholders with open accounts who were not affected by the loss of the backup tapes to advise them that they were not affected. Cardholders should begin to receive these letters this week.

· An additional letter dated March 9, 2005 is being sent to all cardholders. There are two versions, one for cardholders with open accounts, and one for cardholders with closed accounts.

· A special message board has been established at https://www.gov-eagls.bankofamerica.com

Go to “CLICK HERE” at the end of the Message Board for copies of letters, frequently asked questions such as “What is Bank of America doing to prevent fraudulent usage and identify theft of these accounts? What happens if a customer believes that he/she has experienced identity theft as a result of this incident?”

Go to “Privacy and Security” for information on Reporting Fraud and Identify Theft.

To obtain information about your specific personal information that was on the tapes, contact Bank of America at 1-800-493-8444. Have your government account number available.

Bank of America has made special arrangements with TransUnion, one of three nationally recognized credit reporting bureaus in the United States, to provide cardholders with a credit report and the opportunity to place a 90-day fraud alert on their individual credit report at no cost to the cardholder (through June 30, 2005). The following numbers are provided for your information.

· TransUnion to obtain a credit bureau report,

1-800-526-9104 use the special customer access code: 9870

· Bank of America to review your account

1-800-472-1424

For current cardholders, as allowed for by law, Bank of America has contracted with a national credit bureau to notify you if certain activity on your credit report (including personal accounts) may indicate the possibility of fraudulent activity.

There are no plans to reissue government charge cards. These accounts are being monitored. If cardholders close their government charge card account, without opening a new account, the national credit bureau with which the bank has contracted will not notify the bank if certain activity on the cardholder’s credit report may indicate the possibility of fraudulent activity.

Use of the government charge card is mandatory for official government travel. The government charge card continues to be a valuable tool in managing official government travel and acquiring goods and services for the government. Use of the card allows access to government rates for airline tickets, and facilitates tax exemption allowing more funds to be used directly for Interior’s mission.

We will continue to work closely with Bank of America officials and will keep you advised of any future developments.