North Carolina officials have warned about 26,000 retired government employees that their Social Security numbers may have been exposed to public view in an apparent security breach made in January.

The N.C. Department of Sate Treasurer this month advised beneficiaries to remain vigilant for signs of identity theft that could result from the "data security incident."

"We are notifying you so you can take action along with our vendor's efforts to minimize or eliminate potential harm," the letter states. "A victim's personal information is sometimes held for use or shared among a group of thieves at different times."