WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Secret Service and FBI are investigating how personal information purported to relate to first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and former first lady Hillary Clinton ended up on an Internet site, officials said Tuesday. It was not clear how much of the information was accurate and whether it was obtained through hacking or by scrutinizing public records.
The FBI also is looking into postings of information about a number of high-profile celebrities and other public figures. The site claims to have Social Security numbers, addresses of homes and financial information for a variety of people, including Beyonce, Jay Z, Mel Gibson, Paris Hilton, Ashton Kutcher, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian, Donald Trump, FBI Director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Eric Holder. Others listed include former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and wrestler Hulk Hogan. The amount of purported information on each person varies.
"We will confirm the Secret Service is investigating the matter," Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said in response to inquiries about material posted on Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Biden. "We cannot comment further as it is an ongoing matter."
But as an indication the situation is being treated seriously, a law enforcement official told CNN that investigators will seek administrative subpoenas to obtain records from Internet service providers. "This is a potentially complex investigation and it will take some time," the law enforcement official said.
An FBI official said it's possible the information posted was available from publicly available sources. Some of the information, including a number of addresses, could be obtained from public records. Some public records also contain part of an individual's Social Security number.
The material posted on the website -- which CNN is not naming -- has entire Social Security numbers, but law enforcement officials would not comment on the accuracy of the postings.
The material allegedly involving the first lady has a message at the top saying, "Blame your husband, we still love you, Michelle."
The site posted what it claims is a TransUnion credit report on Obama listing bank accounts, credit cards, and mortgage information.
Evan Hendricks, the author of "Credit Scores & Credit Reports" said there's "no obvious signs it's bogus, but only the person themselves would really know if it's legit."
Hendricks said credit bureaus often lock the profiles of well-known people to protect the information.
"This is a grotesque invasion of privacy," Hendricks said.
