USPS ISSUES WRITTEN APOLOGY

LAPTOP COMPUTER WITH PERSONAL INFORMATION STOLEN

     Some Postal employees in the Colorado/Wyoming District have been receiving letters regarding a stolen laptop computer.  The letters Local 321 has seen are dated January 9, 2008, and reference a theft which occurred on November 19, 2007. Why did it take more than 7 weeks to notify the affected employees that their personal information - to include social security numbers - was compromised?

The union finds this delay of notification unacceptable and has requested further information from management so as to determine our proper course of action on behalf of our members.

The letter is from the USPS Law Department in Denver and states:

 "I am writing to inform you that on November 21, 2007, the Postal Service received notice of the theft of a laptop computer belonging to Advanced Solutions Group (ASG), a division of IKON Legal Document Services.  The theft occurred on November 19, 2007.  Files stored in the computer contain your personal information, including your name and social security number.  Local law enforcement authorities were immediately notified and Postal Inspectors are working with those authorities on this investigation.  ASG has provided document management support to the Postal Service Office of General Counsel in connection with class action lawsuits filed by postal employees and applicants for employment. 

We have no indication that any of the information contained on the laptop computer has been compromised.  While security protections installed on the ASG computer system make it difficult to access the information without authorization, I am advising you of this incident so that you may take precautionary measures to protect yourself.

One of the best sources of information is the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  The FTC's Web site (www.ftc.gov) provides useful information regarding identity theft and data protection.  The FTC's most comprehensive information regarding identity theft can be found at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or you may call the FTC's Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse at 1-877-438-4338 (TTY: 1-866-653-4261). In addition, you may also request a free credit report online at www.annualcreditreport.com.

The privacy and security of this data is of the utmost importance.  Please accept my personal apology and assurance that the Postal Service is working to minimize any impact this incident may have on you.  I hope to provide you with additional information as it becomes available.

Please see the enclosed Frequently Asked Questions for more information or feel free to contact the Postal Service Law Department Contract Program Office toll-free at 1-888-316-7503 or via email at Moreinfo@usps.gov with any concerns you may have.

Sincerely,

(signed)

Mary Anne Gibbons

Sr. Vice President General Counsel

US Postal Service

(The list of Frequently Asked Questions attached to this document can be viewed by clicking this link, or the one above.)

Needless to say, in this day and age, ID theft is a reality.  Your union's advice is that if you received one of these letters, you need to follow-up and make sure your credit has not been compromised. Read the Frequently Asked Questions thoroughly. 

If you find that your information has been compromised, and you suspect it was because of this computer theft, please contact the Local union at 303-455-6400.