Fraudulent attempts to access people’s private information are on the rise and data security is always a top priority for the New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS). One of the most important safeguards against fraud is a commitment to safe practices by our retirees, members and employers.

Beware of spoofed websites

Hackers try many ways to gain access to sensitive private information, including “spoofing,” the use of fake sites designed to mimic real websites. Such fake sites attempt to trick users into entering their usernames and passwords so they can steal private information.

NHRS is diligent in safeguarding your information and you should be too. Protecting your account and private information starts with maintaining protective online habits. We recommend our retirees, members and employers routinely take the following steps:

• Always navigate to the NHRS website from a safe source, such as a link in an email we’ve sent you, a saved bookmark on a trusted web browser, or by typing in our web address — https://www.nhrs.org/ — directly into your browser’s address bar. Using a web browser to search “NHRS” or “New Hampshire Retirement System” is not the safest practice as it presents the possibility of malicious, fake sites appearing in search results.

• Doublecheck any website address (URL), before clicking to open the site and especially before logging into your NHRS account with your username and password. Ensure the URL begins with “https://” which indicates a secure connection that is protected from tampering. Check for any misspellings in the website address, which suggests a fake version of a trusted website.

Watch out for phishing emails

Be sure to review any email from NHRS to make sure it is generated from us. The practice known as phishing is a fraudulent email that pretends to be from a legitimate source to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information like passwords or other personal data. Red flags to identify phishing emails include:

• A sense of urgency or threatening language.
• Unfamiliar or unusual senders or recipients.
• Spelling or grammar errors.
• Request for money or personal information.

Remember that NHRS emails will always come from a legitimate NHRS address, such as public_relations@nhrs.org or noreply@nhrs.org.

Should you believe you received a phishing email or other fraudulent attempts to access your data, please contact us immediately by calling (603) 410-3500.

Thank you for helping keep your NHRS account — and our system — secure.