(Washington) ING Financial Services is offering District employees who enrolled in the free credit monitoring services following the theft of an ING agent’s laptop computer in June 2006 the ability to renew their service for another year.

The computer contained data on participants in the District’s 457 Deferred Compensation Plan (DCPLUS) and the 401(a) Defined Contribution Pension Plan. Only employees who were in enrolled in these retirement plans prior to June 12, 2006, and were previously enrolled in the free monitoring service can renew their service.

To date, no District employees have reported any problems stemming from the incident. However, the DC Department of Human Resources (DCHR) encourages all eligible employees to re-enroll in the free 3-in-1 Credit Monitoring and Fraud Alert Services.

Eligible employees who enrolled via the Internet will receive a “renewal” email from the credit monitoring service Equifax explaining that they can renew their product by providing a promotion code (that Equifax provides to them) on the online renewal page of the Equifax site.

Eligible employees who enrolled via US Mail will receive a letter informing them to call the Equifax call center and provide their promotion code that Equifax assigns to them.

These processes will enable these consumers to opt-in for a new complimentary year of Equifax Credit Watch.  This same process will occur each year that the consumer opts in to receive an additional year of credit monitoring. DCHR wants to assure each employee that DC Government will continue to do everything within its power to minimize the level of possible exposure to identity theft for those affected.

For more information, please call Equifax at 1-877-47GUARD (1-877-474-8273), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or email at gold.creditwatch@equifax.com. You may also write to Equifax Consumer Services, Inc. PO Box 105496, Atlanta, GA 30348.