As a data privacy champion for 2025, CalPERS takes Data Privacy Week (Jan. 27 through Jan. 31) seriously — and we’ve crafted tips to combat bad actors in the digital space who might want a peek at places they have no business looking.
- Avoid Sharing Personal Details Online: The internet is rife with ill-intentioned sleuths who might be lurking in chat rooms and comment sections sifting for people’s private information, which is why you should refrain from posting these specifics on social media and elsewhere in public. This includes phone numbers, addresses, banking information, or anything else that only you and a select few people should know. If it’s on a need-to-know basis, don’t post it.
- Keep Your Social Security Number Close to the Vest: Your SSN is perhaps one of the most crucial pieces of information you have in identifying yourself, and it often serves as the key to a variety of different functions, applications, and services one might need in life (like applying for a loan, etc.).
Because this number is so identifying, it is vitally important to protect it at all costs. Be cautious who you share your SSN with, and only use it if it is 100% necessary. Also, ensure that the entities you do share it with are authentic and legitimate — in the same breath, never provide your SSN outside of official channels.
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Look Out for Phishing Scams and Bad Actors: People all over the world are on a mission to dupe as many ordinary folks as they can into handing over their private data in the hopes of using it for illegal purposes. In the current digital era, these schemes have become incredibly sophisticated — with scammers sending everything from unsolicited emails and texts, or just outright phone calls pretending to be somebody they’re not.If you receive inquiries like this, don’t panic and do not reply with what’s being asked of you — no matter how urgent it may sound. Check with the proper agencies by contacting them directly to make sure any type of request or demand is, in fact, real before proceeding. Most accredited organizations never ask you for personal information over text or email — so if it feels suspicious, it probably is.
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Multifactor Authentication and Why You Should Use It: Passwords alone are no longer the most effective way to secure accounts. The myCalPERS member self-service portal offers you the added security of multifactor authentication (MFA) – which takes more than one form of identification to access a system. By enabling MFA, you’ll receive a verification code via a text message, phone call, email, or you can use an authenticator app of your choice to verify your identity.If you haven’t already done so, log in to myCalPERS and select My Account, Security Settings, and Multifactor Authentication & Account Recovery to enable MFA today. The more you use it, the easier it becomes to incorporate this added layer of security into your online life.
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Track Your Paper and Electronic Data: Make sure you are safeguarding your data in both forms — and that means taking inventory of what you have and purging what you no longer need. Secure your paper files until you are ready to use them. Securely dispose of them when you no longer need them.In the same vein, you should secure sensitive electronic files when in use, in transit, or at rest. Consider encrypting any confidential data that must be sent electronically — and, likewise, delete any confidential data that is no longer required.
CalPERS is committed to keeping your data private and secure, including using sophisticated cybersecurity systems and following industry best practices. Our Privacy Policy webpage has more information on the type of data we obtain, how we collect it, and how it’s used.
You can find other tips and information about myCalPERS on our website.