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Stand Up about Lite Blue Issues
Subject: Stand Up about Lite Blue Issues
All,
Please see the attached stand up talk and below message from the Postal Service. I apologize for the delay—things are crazy in Buffalo, and I will admit my family and home were my first priority during this disastrous storm that has taken 35 lives in Western New York.
The attached is an advisory about fake Liteblue Websites and attempts to compromise our member’s information. Please always got here LiteBlue (usps.gov) to access the real LiteBlue website.
Do not provide your EIN or password to anyone to include family, friends, or financial institutions that request it. We have reports that some advance check cashing or payday lenders (President Dimondstein and I call them legal loan sharks) are requesting member’s EINs, passwords, and LiteBlue login information in order to arrange these despicable loans—please do not give this information. Some of these institutions have been identified as the folks changing LiteBlue information and stealing member’s direct deposit.
We are in contact with the Postal Service on these issues and pushing for pay advances. However, the Postal Service as thus far taken the position that stolen direct deposit is not the fault of the USPS and not issuing advances. We are still pushing and fighting for this to happen. When I have more info, I will share.
In the meantime, if employees have issues, the need to contact their local stewards and officers who can then reach out to their NBAs if needs be.
Please share with field.
Thank you and remember—stay safe, wear your mask!
Charlie Cash
Industrial Relations Director
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
Continual Issues with LiteBlue/PostalEase
Subject: Continual Issues with LiteBlue/PostalEase
All,
I just received the message below from the Postal Service which you may share with the field informing us the external link to PostalEase/Liteblue will be taken down today. This will require employees to make changes Postal Service devices within postal facilities.
Colleagues,
We continue to receive reports of employees clicking on fake LiteBlue websites, allowing cyber criminals to steal their usernames and passwords. A limited number of employees have reported changes to their net to bank or allotment changes due to this activity.
The USPS has taken multiple steps to combat this activity through enhanced communications, stand-up talks, working with internet providers to identify the sites as fraudulent, and proactively identifying potential victims. Unfortunately, some employees continue to access the fake websites.
The VP, CISO has recommended disabling the external link to PostalEase today, December 29, 2022.
Taking this action will prevent any net to bank or allotment changes to occur unless employees log-in from a USPS issued device in a USPS facility to further protect employees against fraudulent websites. The Chief Information Office is working to expedite the deployment of a multi-factor solution which will prompt employees for a second identification factor, such as a one-time passcode through text or email or through an authenticator application that will be in addition to their usernames and passwords.
In the interim, please inform employees to call the helpdesk at 877-477-3273 for assistance with their urgent LiteBlue needs.
Headquarters is working diligently to resolve these security issues and enable LiteBlue to be available ASAP.
Thank you!
Tom
I have also made inquiries on what the Postal Service is doing to ensure all employees have access to a “postal device” in a postal facility.
Thank you and remember—stay safe, wear your mask!
Charlie Cash
Industrial Relations Director
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
Additional Standup
Subject: Additional Standup
All,
I just received this Stand Up Talk that was supposed to be given out last week. There have now been two that were supposed to have done. However, I am getting reports that these Stand Up Talks are not being done. I am also being told that employees are being denied access to Postal Devices to access Postal Ease. I need to know where the stand up talks have not been given and where employees are being denied access to postal computers. Here is the message I received with this stand up talk:
Colleagues,
Attached please find the final, approved stand up talk for distribution starting today addressing Net to Bank and Allotment Disabled online in PostalEase.
Tom
We are monitoring the situation and are demanding the Postal Service provide us full updates on what has happened, what is still happening, and what is being done to remedy the situation. As I get more information, I will continue to share it. Please get this information out to the field. I have also attached the previous emails I have sent out.
Thank you and remember—stay safe, wear your mask!
Charlie Cash
Industrial Relations Director
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
Dec. 30, 2022
Fraud Alert Update:
Net to Bank and Allotment Disabled Online in PostalEASE
The stand-up talk issued Friday Dec. 23, 2022, discussed a fraud scheme by cyber criminals using fake LiteBlue websites to target Postal Service employees.
When you attempt to log in to a fake site, scammers collect your username and password. Scammers can record this information and use it to enter PostalEASE — the self-service application reached through LiteBlue for employment-related services. There, scammers may access your sensitive data, which they can manipulate for financial gain.
The LiteBlue and PostalEASE applications have not been compromised. A limited number of employees have reported unusual account activity involving their PostalEASE accounts, which has been attributed to their prior interaction with the fake LiteBlue websites.
As an additional precaution, the Net to Bank and Allotment functionalities have been disabled online in the PostalEASE application accessed externally through LiteBlue via a personal computer as of Dec. 29, 2022, until further notice.
Employees may cancel allotments, establish net to bank, or make changes to net to bank via the PostalEASE Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. IVR is a telephone-based system and may be accessed by calling the Human Resources Shared Service Center (HRSSC) at 877-477-3273, menu option 1. Employees using the IVR system will need to have their employee identification number (EIN) and personal identification number (PIN).
These services can be conducted online via PostalEASE when accessed using a USPS-owned laptop or desktop computer, connected to the USPS network.
If you use an online search engine such as Google or Yahoo to navigate to LiteBlue, you may find fake LiteBlue websites in your search results. We are working with the internet service providers to remove the fake websites. However, they often reappear as quickly as they are removed.
You can reduce the chances of encountering a fake website by navigating directly to the official USPS website at (spell aloud) W-W-W - “dot” - L-I-T-E-B-L-U-E - “dot” - U-S-P-S - “dot” - G-O-V or www.liteblue.usps.gov. If you visit LiteBlue frequently, you should bookmark the site as one of your favorites.
We are also taking additional precautions across our network to mitigate the risk of further impact on our employees.
If you suspect you are a victim of this fraud or encounter a fake LiteBlue website, please contact USPS CyberSafe by email at cybersafe@usps.gov. Employees should also report any instance of suspected account tampering to the USPS Accounting Service Center helpline at 1-866-974-2733.
Thank you for listening.
Update to APWU Members on LiteBlue Fraud
Update to APWU Members on LiteBlue Fraud
January 5, 2023
APWU National Officers continue to warn postal workers to be on the lookout for a fraudulent online scheme that has resulted in stolen direct deposit payments from USPS employees.
The scam involves either a phone call from someone claiming to be a Postal Inspector or a fraudulent website that looks like LiteBlue, but sends workers’ log in details to the fraudsters.
Once workers have provided the scammers with their security information, such as passwords and EINs, the scammers can log into their victims’ LiteBlue accounts and change their net-to-bank payroll information.
USPS management warned workers about the fake LiteBlue sites in a Stand-up Talk on Dec. 23.
On Dec. 29 the USPS disabled access to change PostalEase on external sites. Employees can still login through external computers, but can only view their direct deposit and other information. Employees who need to change their information will have to either login to PostalEase through an ACE computer at a postal facility or call the Human Resource Shared Service Center (HRSSC) directly at 1-877-477-3273 to make any necessary direct deposit or benefit changes at this time.
An updated Stand-up Talk was posted on the subject on Dec. 30. However, it has been reported from the field that the Stand-up Talks are not being done in many locations and that managers are denying workers access to postal devices in order to log into their accounts.
If you have not received the Stand-up talks regarding LiteBlue fraud, or are denied access to PostalEase through a USPS issued device, please contact your steward or other local/state officer for resolution. If local management refuses to resolve the problems, local and state leaders can inform the Industrial Relations Department to address the problem with Postal HQ management.
APWU national officers are monitoring the situation and demanding that the Postal Service provide full updates on what has happened, what is still happening, and what is being done to remedy the situation, including the reimbursement of stolen funds
Postal Service management will implement a Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) system, which will add an extra layer of security by requiring a code sent via email or text to log in. It is recommended that everyone ensure the Postal Service has a good email or phone number that can receive a text on file. The email or phone number provided to the Postal Service for MFA will only be used for this purpose.
It is important that you should never share your LiteBlue/PostalEase login information with anyone. The Postal Inspectors will not call or ask for this information over the phone.
If you are concerned that you might have entered your LiteBlue information on a fraudulent website or have provided that information from a phone call, please attempt to log in and check your LiteBlue/PostalEase account immediately. If you can’t log in, see unauthorized changes, or if anything seems suspicious, contact HRSSC immediately at 1-877-477-3273.
JCIM is Available: Order Yours Today!
JCIM is Available: Order Yours Today!
January 5, 2023
The 2023 Joint Contract Interpretation Manual (JCIM), a resource for the administration of the 2021-2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), is now available for members! Members can order their JCIM for $10 from the APWU Store on the APWU website, or you can click here for an electronic copy.
The JCIM is an APWU and USPS jointly prepared manual for interpreting issues related to the union contract and serves to address and resolve disputes as well as ensure contract compliance.
The JCIM is a collection of agreed-upon interpretations that have been made over decades of collective bargaining. Whether those interpretations have been made by simple discussion and agreement, interpreted by a national arbitrator in arbitration proceedings, agreed upon in memoranda of understanding, or through dispute settlements, the JCIM is the final word on issues printed in the booklet for all levels of the grievance process.
The purpose of the JCIM is also stated at the beginning of the manual:
“When a dispute arises, the parties should first go to the JCIM to determine if the issue in disputes is addressed. If it is, the parties are required to resolve the dispute in accordance with this manual. If the parties effectively use and consult the JCIM, many disputes can be settled early on in the grievance/arbitration process.”