OPM Breach Growing by the Day - Steps You can take to Protect Your Identity

There have been many discussions recently about the cyber intrusion at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Unfortunately, not a lot of detail is being confirmed or provided by any government official that is willing to be named. Most recently, it was reported that 18 million people may have been affected, as opposed to the last reported number of 4.4 million. In addition, since part of the information access was retrieved from the SF-86 form, it may not even scratch the surface for a final tally.

This form is of significant note. It is filled out by anyone who is attempting to get a national security position with the federal government or get access to a government system that may contain sensitive information. This applies to contractors and consultants who may be working with the various organizations; and, these people are not limited to U.S. Citizens.

Specifically of note, this form includes names, social security numbers, dates of birth, height, weight, age, work history, past residences, and passport details, and countries visited at any time of anyone applying. It also includes information about spouses and co-habitants, military service information, and contact information for three “people who know you well,” among many other details. This form is 127 pages long!

In other words, anyone who has this information can conceivably assume the identity of the applicant. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 19 people become victims of identity theft every minute. To help prevent this from happening to you, follow a few guidelines (in no particular order):

• Take advantage of the free annual credit report offered to each and every person with credit in the United States every year. There is a website available and backed by the U.S. government that ensures it is at no charge (annualcreditreport.com). Don’t be fooled by the others that advertise “free” and give a different web address. Also watch out for upsells and fine print.

• Get credit reports for your children and monitor those with the same diligence in which you monitor your own. The FTC estimates that over 140,000 children become identity theft victims every year.

• Stagger the timeframes that you order these reports. Jim Stickley of Stickley on Security recommends getting one every four months from a different credit bureau. This will allow you to stay on top of any changes and spot suspicious activity sooner and allow you to deal with it right away.

• Teach your children how to protect private information. Always emphasize to them to never give out or even say out loud, any social security numbers, credit card details, or financial information (including where Mom or Dad banks) to anyone.

• Since some security analysts have linked the OPM breach to the Anthem and Premera breaches earlier this year, monitor all healthcare benefit statements. If a doctor, procedure, or office visit is unfamiliar or incorrect, call the provider and insurance company right away.

• Everyone gets a lot of spam and a lot, if not most of it, is phishing. In this case, keep an eye out for emails designed to look like they are from a government organization that attempt to get you to click on a link, download a file or enter login credentials. Even if it isn’t coming from whomever the particular criminals are that infiltrated the OPM, others may try to piggyback on this and attempt to deliver malware in those messages that can have a number of different affects.

If you suspect you may have been a victim of identity theft due to this or any other instance, file a report with local law enforcement, as well as with the Federal Trade Commission. Always encourage others to do the same.

It is relatively easy to change a credit card number. It is incredibly difficult and time consuming to get your identity back. Just ask Stickley.  It took him over two painful years when he became a victim. Therefore, it’s worthwhile to do whatever you can to protect yours.