OPM Website Online for Those Still Questioning Their Breach Status

For those who are wondering if they were affected as part of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data breach of earlier this year and just haven't been notified, there is some news. A new website verification center has been set up and is available for those who would like to know if they were impacted and just have not received a letter yet.

OPM sent out letters already to 93% of the estimated 21.5 million affected, but many others, particularly spouses and children still were left not knowing for sure if their information was also accessed, but they just have not yet received the confirmation.

While OPM does purge information on family members sooner than employees, it is better to go to the website and check for yourself if you think you may have been included. If you were, make sure to order your free annual credit report from all of the three credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. If you stagger ordering from each one and get one report every four months, you can keep better tabs on the activity on them. If anything on them, even if you think it is harmless, looks out of place, contact the issuer and get it corrected. Tracking credit is not an exact science and sometimes items appear on these reports, but don't belong there.

When ordering these reports, keep in mind that although there are many other services available, and will likely be presented to you at various costs, you are entitled to the free ones each year. To ensure they are indeed free, you must go to annualcreditreport (.com). You can also call the credit bureaus and request them that way.

In addition, OPM has offered free credit monitoring services through ID Experts. However, this does not prevent someone from stealing your identity. The service will notify you if anyone applies for credit using your information, but will not stop them from obtaining credit. However, any time such a service is offered to you, take advantage of it. It will at least let you know that someone may be using your information and you can take care of it with less stress and perhaps even prevent identity theft from happening.

There are other measures you can take if you were included in this breach. There are credit freezes, which will prevent anyone from getting credit with your social security number. However, this includes you. So, if you are planning to apply for a loan or credit card, keep this in mind. 

You can also set up notifications on your credit so that you are notified and must confirm, before the information will be provided to the requestor. Check the credit bureau websites to find out what other services are available. They may not be free, but will be well worth it if the alternative is identity theft. It can take years to clear up credit after your identity has been stolen.

The website will be available through the end of December, 2018. There is also a phone number available. Check the OPM website for information and for a link to the new verification center. Just don't expect to get a yes or no answer immediately. As with many government services, patience is a virtue. After entering the requested information, your name will be matched against a separate database and you will receive a letter at some point in the future with information as to whether or not your information was accessed.