Over 20 million Americans are currently receiving notice that their identities and information may have been leaked in one of the largest government data breaches in history. However, while many of these letters seem suspicious, there are clear ways to learn if the concern is legitimate or simply another scam.
WCPO provides tips on how to tell the difference between a real and a fake letter:
[The data breach includes]:
- Government employees
- Certain spouses of those employees, who needed to be cleared as well
- Contractors
- People who simply applied for a government job
[…]
But the Better Business Bureau says beware scams trying to take advantage of confusion over this breach.
- The letter should direct you to a .gov website. Anything you do should be through that website.
- It should give you a 25 digit pin number to use.
- The government will not email or call you about this breach. If the letter comes in the form of an email, it is NOT legitimate.
Remember, you don’t need to be a government employee: [Some victims] worked briefly for a government contractor.
To learn more about the breach and to see if you are at risk, visit the Office of Personal Management.
Photo by Andrew Taylor via Flickr CC License
