The Public School Retirement System / Public Education Employee Retirement System (PSRS/PEERS) informed us that a PSRS/PEERS employee’s email account was fraudulently accessed. PSRS/PEERS security discovered the unauthorized access in less than an hour and disabled the employee’s email account. The unauthorized individual did not gain access to PSRS/PEERS internal systems and there is currently no evidence of fraud as a result of the unauthorized access.
We want to share the actions PSRS/PEERS is taking to assist members whose information may have been accessed:
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Inform impacted members: Letters were sent Wednesday, October 14th, to each individual whose information was potentially exposed. Members whose data was not accessible will not receive letters. In households with multiple persons impacted each individual will receive a letter.
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Offer member protection: PSRS/PEERS will pay for two years of identity theft protection and up to $1 million identity theft insurance for impacted members through Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM service. Instructions to take advantage of the identity theft protection and insurance are in your letter from PSRS/PEERS. PSRS/PEERS members impacted have until January 31st, 2022 to enroll in Experian’s® IdentityWorksSM service.
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Establish a hotline: PSRS/PEERS established a number to call for more information, check if the data breach impacts them, and enroll in credit monitoring protection. The hotline will connect you with a dedicated call center run by Experian. The hotline will begin operating on Monday, October 18th at this toll-free number (855) 723-0365.
PSRS/PEERS reviewed and strengthened data security procedures, changed all employee passwords, created additional authentication protocols for user log-ins, and modified policies about the storage of Personally Identifiable Information.
If you have additional questions, a PSRS/PEERS contact line, (888) 391-6964, staffed with individuals who have been trained to answer questions about this incident, is available during regular business hours.
Even if this event does not impact you, it is a reminder to take steps to guard your personal information. To assist you, NEA has created a guide, Fighting Back Against Identity Theft, for educators with all the information you need to receive free credit reports, freeze credit inquires, and concrete steps to protect your personal information. It is available here. Also, Missouri NEA has partnered with Securus ID to offer identity theft protection at a highly discounted rate. You can learn more at this link.
We will continue to keep you informed as new information becomes available.