So, you are definitely, maybe, maybe not, one of the 22 million current, retired, or former feds who’ve been hacked! That ever-expanding club includes people who applied for federal jobs, but didn’t get or take them, as well as people seeking security clearances.

Twenty-two million people is a lot of people. It’s like everybody in the states of Florida and Arkansas.  Plus, maybe you. And some of your neighbors. Maybe everybody you work with.  Hacked.

Now what?

The government has pledged to provide credit monitoring services.

So what?

That will be an expensive proposition ($10 to $12 per month, per person, on the commercial market. And for how long, as in long enough?)

So who pays?  Well, we know the answer to that. Your agency must come up with the money, a tough assignment as the fiscal year winds down.  But where will it get the money?  If you are a taxpayer, check the nearest mirror.

Who hacked you is again a legitimate question.  We knew last week. Now, not so much!    Previously. U.S. Government officials hinted, strongly and often,  that based on forensic evidence, the Chinese military was probably the culprit.  Now they’ve backed off saying that naming the hacker might complicate things. So that leaves Iceland and Chad, among others. Maybe!

Closer to home, what does credit monitoring mean. What does it do?  How effective, or not, are the services? How comprehensive?    In June we talked with Call For Action President Shirley Rooker.  We asked her about the data breach which had just been announced.  And we asked about a readers suggestion that feds consider a “credit freeze’ on their bank and charge accounts.

Rooker, who also has a regular weekly show, said that while a credit freeze is an option, it may not be for everyone.  She pointed out that it can cost you to freeze, then defrost, an account.  Before considering a credit freeze, check out the Federal Trade Commission‘s explanation as to how a credit/security freeze works.

Rather than a freeze, Rooker said you should consider passwords for all your accounts and credit cards.

“Consumers should put a password on everything … checking, savings accounts, etc.  A credit freeze does not free you from checking (your credit) yourself.  If you see a suspicious charge, pursue it.”  She also said that PIN numbers for credit cards, plus the new chip cards (like those common in Europe) some companies are issuing cannot be cloned or reproduced.  Also, she said it you currently have passwords (don’t we all?) change them!  That is especially for those of you who may have been hacked.

As to the value of credit monitoring services, maybe you have the answer. Have you been the victim of identity theft? Did credit monitoring help prevent it, or minimize its impact?  What, if anything, helped you recover money — not to mention your credit and good name — after the attack?  Let us know, we’ll pass it on.

Nearly Useless Factiod

By Michael O’Connell

Edwin Moore invented the push pin in 1900.

Source: Wikipedia

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