The U.S. Postal Service is offering all current, some retired and former postal employees an Equifax credit-monitoring service for one (1) year.  USPS is offering the  credit-monitoring services after a data breach compromised employees’ personal information—possibly including names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses, bank account (injured employees) info and even emergency contact information. More than 800,000 employees may have been affected.

From USPS News Link:

The deadline for employees to sign up for the free credit-monitoring service offered by the Postal Service is Wednesday, March 31.

Employees are encouraged to register for the service, which USPS offered following a cyber intrusion into some postal information systems last year.

After the incident, USPS mailed employees letters containing an activation code for the service. Employees who didn’t receive a letter should contact the HR Shared Service Center to have a replacement sent.

The service is offered free of charge for one year.

After one year, postal employees are on their own to deal with any ramifications of the data breach. Postal Employees are entitled annually to one free credit report.  After receiving the free annual credit report, Postal Employees must purchase a copy by contacting one of the three national credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).

If someone has access to your name, Mother’s maiden name, birthdate and Social Security number, they have the personally identifiable information (PII) needed to create major damage in your life. The hackers can do it now, a year from now or 10 years down the road.

USPS is providing postal employees  with the ‘Equifax Credit Watch Gold with 3-in-1 Monitoring identity theft protection product.

Employees should also carefully check their annual Social Security Administration benefits statements for unusual activity. And they should be wary of any unusual mail suggesting their identity has been used to obtain credit, licenses, or to open any other accounts using their information.

Get a free annual consumer report from ChexSystems. Many financial institutions rely on ChexSystems to open bank accounts.

To opt out of pre-approved offers, visit www.optoutprescreen.com

Check for more comprehensive information at  the Federal Trade Commission