Geez Louise...
What data is included in a background investigation?
Types of information involved in the background investigation records incident that may have been impacted:
Social Security Numbers
Residency and educational history
Employment history
Information about immediate family and personal and business acquaintances
Health, criminal and financial history that would have been provided as part of your background investigation
Some records also include findings from interviews conducted by background investigators and approximately 1.1 million include fingerprints. Usernames and passwords that background investigation applicants used to fill out their background investigation forms were also stolen.
In general, background investigation forms collect personal information for people occupying positions with the Federal government, including SSNs to:
Check criminal histories;
Validate background investigation applicants' educations;
Validate employment histories;
Validate background investigation applicants' living addresses; and
Gain insight into the character and conduct of background investigation applicants, through checks of references.
In addition, some people occupying public trust or national security provide additional types of information that may include:
Personal information of a spouse or a cohabitant (including SSNs);
Personal information of parents, siblings, other relatives, and close friends (but does not include SSNs);
Foreign Countries visited and individuals the applicant may know in those countries;
Current or previous treatment for mental health issues; and/or
Use of illegal drugs.
For public trust and national security investigations, other information may be collected related to parents, siblings, other relatives, close friends, and previous places a background investigation applicant may have lived, worked, or attended school. This information is used to interview employers, friends, and neighbors about the applicant, their conduct, and personal history, and to conduct local law enforcement checks at previous locations lived.
Have I been affected by the background investigation records incident?
Social Security Numbers (SSNs) of 21.5 million individuals were stolen from the background investigation databases. This includes 19.7 million individuals that applied for a background investigation, and 1.8 million non-applicants, predominantly spouses or co-habitants of applicants.
If you are one of the following, you may have been affected:
Current or former Federal government employee
Member of the Military, or Veteran
Current or former Federal contractor
Job candidate required to complete a background investigation before your start date
Spouse, co-habitant, minor child, close contact of any of the above groups