Stolen laptop may contain some UFT retirees’ personal info
Sep 6, 2007 10:45 AM
A laptop computer that may contain personal and financial information of UFT and other New York City retirees was stolen from a consultant working for the city’s Financial Information Services Agency (FISA) in August.
FISA recently took over the handling of pension checks for five New York City pension systems, including the Teachers’ Retirement System. The stolen computer may have had information on as many as 20,000 retirees but it is not known which of the city’s more than 280,000 retirees they are.
The laptop was stolen from a restaurant on Aug. 18 and the consultant reported the theft to the police that night.
UFT officials and the teacher members of the TRS are urging retirees who may have been affected to take steps to protect themselves from identity theft.
They have worked with New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson, who called for the consultant to pick up the tab for credit protection. That firm, CGI, has now agreed to pay for a year of credit protection. UFT President Randi Weingarten applauded Thompson for his swift action in calling on CGI to pay for protection measures.
FISA said retirees would receive a letter in early September informing them of the theft. The letter will note that according to CGI the laptop was password protected “and that their analysis concludes that the probability of sensitive information being recoverable is limited.”
CGI has arranged for retirees to receive a credit protection program from the credit agency Equifax free for one year. Retirees must enroll in the program, called Equifax Credit Watch Gold, before Nov. 30. UFT officials strongly urged retirees to sign up for the program.
Details about the credit protection program were included in the FISA letter. Retirees who have additional questions may call FISA at 1-212-857-1777.
UFT members were notified in April that FISA was taking over the pension payroll for the TRS, joining the other city pension systems: the Board of Education Retirement System (BERS), the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, the Police Pension Fund and the Fire Department Pension Fund.
