In June 2023, the California State Teacher’s Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), announced that their systems were breached in a large-scale cyber-attack affecting hundreds of thousands of current retirees.

In the week of June 26, they mailed out letters to those affected. If you received a letter from CalSTRS and/or CalPERS, your information may have been accessed. Unfortunately we live in an era where these nefarious acts can have detrimental effects on our lives, including identity theft and financial harm.

Your union urges you to read through the letter thoroughly. There are resources offered by both agencies, including free credit monitoring.

In addition, the letter offers you should also consider taking other preventative steps to protect your identity and finances.

Preventative Measures

Place a “Fraud Alert” on your credit reports, and review the reports carefully. The alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures before they open new accounts in your name or make changes to your existing accounts in order to know it’s really you. The three nationwide consumer reporting companies have online forms as well as toll-free numbers for placing fraud alert. A fraud alert stays active for one year.
• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
• Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

Requesting an alert from one company is sufficient. That company will notify the other two. Placing a fraud alert entitles you to free copies of your credit reports. When you review them, look for inquiries from companies you haven’t contacted, accounts you didn’t open, and debts on your accounts that you can’t explain.

If you are a victim of identity theft, you think you may have been compromised, or you simply want to prevent theft, you can now place a freeze on your credit for free.

A federal law that went into effect on September 21, 2018, allows consumers to freeze and unfreeze their accounts, their children’s accounts, or accounts they have guardianship over, for free.

Credit agencies must place freezes that are requested online or over the phone within one business day, and unfreeze within one hour.

Fraudulent Accounts in Your Name

If new accounts are fraudulently created in your name and/or your current accounts are tampered with, consider:

Close accounts. Close any accounts that have been tampered with or established fraudulently.
• Call the security or fraud departments of each company where an account was opened or changed without your okay. Follow up in writing, with copies of supporting documents.
• Use the ID Theft Affidavit at www.ftc.gov/idtheft to support your written statement.
• Ask for verification that the disputed account has been closed and the fraudulent debts discharged.
• Keep copies of documents and records of your conversations about the theft.
• File a police report. File a report with law enforcement officials to help you with creditors who may want proof of the crime.
• Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission. Your report helps law enforcement officials across the country in their investigations.

Learn More

To learn more about ID theft and how to deter, detect and defend against it, visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft. Or request copies of ID theft resources by writing to:

Consumer Response Center
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, H-130
Washington, DC 20580

By phone: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338) or TTY, 1-866-653-4261
By mail: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580