The Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) says a County employee accessed personal information stored in its electronic systems without a legitimate business reason. This wasn’t an outside hacker breaking in through a technical flaw — it was a case of unauthorized employee access to records the employee should not have viewed. The activity took place between January 2024 and May 2025, was discovered by County personnel on May 28, 2025, and was confirmed through an internal investigation that wrapped up on May 7, 2026.
DPSS’s letter is addressed to an individual whose case file was accessed, so it appears to affect people whose personal information was maintained in DPSS’s systems, including those connected to public assistance programs such as CalWORKs, General Relief, and CalFresh. The notice does not state how many total people were affected, so it’s not possible to say whether this involved a small number of case files or a larger group.
What information was exposed?
- First and last name
- Case number
- Date of birth
- CIN number
- Social Security number
- Information relating to public assistance benefits (CalWORKs, General Relief, and/or CalFresh)
Because this incident involved Social Security numbers along with case-specific identifiers, it carries real potential for identity theft and benefits fraud, so it’s worth taking the steps below seriously rather than setting the letter aside.
What should you do now?
- Request your free annual credit report from each of the three nationwide credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) at annualcreditreport.com or by calling 1-877-322-8228, and review it for accounts or inquiries you don’t recognize.
- Place a fraud alert or a credit freeze on your credit files with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion so new credit cannot be opened in your name without extra verification.
- Watch your bank and other financial statements closely for any unauthorized activity in the coming months.
- Given that your Social Security number and case information were involved, consider signing up for a service like Aura or LifeLock, which can alert you if your information appears elsewhere.
- Keep an eye on any correspondence about your public assistance case, since case numbers and CIN numbers were also accessed and could potentially be used to impersonate you in benefits-related contacts.
- Review the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft guidance at consumer.ftc.gov, or call the FTC’s identity theft hotline at (877) 438-4338, if you suspect misuse of your information.
- Report any suspected fraud to your local police department and file a complaint with the FTC to create an official record.
If you have questions, DPSS Information Security Officer Robert Rodgers can be reached at (562) 551-3487 (Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except holidays) or by email at [email protected].