An email was sent out by the Department of Energy today to its employees:
Awareness of Information Requests from Fraudulent OPM Investigators
It has come to the attention of the Office of Departmental Personnel Security that several DOE federal employees and contractors have been contacted by individuals claiming to be investigators with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and asking for the individuals’ Facebook or other social media passwords in conjunction with their periodic reinvestigations.
These requests are fraudulent. These are not OPM investigators and their requests are part of a scam.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) recently issued policy with regard to utilizing publically available information from social media sites during the conduct of background investigations, however, OPM has not yet begun to pursue this information. Even once the policy becomes operative, it will explicitly prohibit the solicitation of passwords from individuals undergoing a background investigation.
Investigators are required to display their credentials before beginning any interview and are prohibited from conducting interviews via telephone, except at the request of the interviewee due to exigent circumstances. As a general reminder, if you are ever contacted by an individual who states that they are an investigator from OPM, you may verify their identity at (888) 795-5673 or FISSST@opm.gov. If you have questions about background investigations or the investigations process, please contact OPM at FISInquiries@opm.gov.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this matter, please contact your local security office.