ARLINGTON, Va. — Members of the Army National Guard who could be affected by the theft of a laptop containing their personal data, will be notified through an official letter, Guard officials said here today.

About 131,000 former and current Army Guard members could be affected by the data loss, which occurred July 27 when a personal laptop owned by an Army Guard contractor was stolen, said Randy Noller, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau.

The stolen laptop contained personal information on Soldiers enrolled in the Army National Guard Bonus and Incentives Program. The type of data includes names, Social Security Numbers, incentive payment amounts and payment dates.

The Army Guard will inform those Guard members who are determined to be impacted by this incident by mailing a letter to them, Noller said.

He added that notification of all individuals should be completed by next week.

The National Guard Bureau has set up a special Web page at http://www.ng.mil, and the Army Guard will have a toll-free call center available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday beginning Aug. 5. The number is 877-481-4957. Each features up-to-date news and information on the data compromise.

The Web site provides steps on how to check credit reports, how to guard against identity theft and who to call if a Guard member believes any fraudulent activity occurs with his or her personal information.