Student Frequently Asked Questions
I received a notification letter from The Moore School of Business stating that some of my personally identifiable data may have been accessed by an unauthorized external entity. Does that mean I am the victim of Identity Theft?
No. Monday evening, May 26, 2008, the Moore School of Business Dean’s Office was burglarized – computer hardware was stolen and the ongoing investigation revealed that files containing student data were potentially included. The Moore School of Business has, therefore, taken the precautionary measure of distributing an advisory to all affected individuals. Please feel free to take immediate action.
What personal information was involved?
There is a possibility that some personal information such as social security numbers and courses you have taken may have been compromised.
Is this information still at risk of disclosure to an unauthorized person?
The Moore School of Business has taken precautions to minimize future security risks.
Why did it take so long to be notified?
As soon as the unauthorized access was discovered (May 27, 2008), USC initiated its incident handling procedures, which includes notification of affected individuals.
I am a student at the University, but I did not receive a notification letter from the university. What should I do?
No further action is required on your part. Only affected individuals received notification letters.
What should I do if I discover fraudulent use of my personal information?
Visit the following websites for helpful information about identity protection and identity theft:
USC’s Identity Protection website: http://www.sc.edu/identity/
Federal Trade Commission website: http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft/
Individuals can request a free initial fraud alert to be placed on their credit files by calling any one of the three major national credit bureaus. When you place a fraud alert with one of the national credit bureaus, that agency will notify the other two agencies. Fraud alerts will then be placed automatically on your accounts at all three agencies, and all three agencies will separately mail credit reports to you at no cost. Contact information for the three agencies appears below:
Equifax
Direct Line for reporting suspected fraud:
800-525-6285
Fraud Division P.O. Box 740250
Atlanta, GA 30374
800-685-1111 / 888-766-0008
http://www.equifax.com
Experian
Direct Line for reporting suspected fraud:
888-397-3742
Credit Fraud Center
P.O. Box 1017
Allen, TX 75013
888-EXPERIAN (888-397-3742)
http://www.experian.com
Trans Union
Direct Line for reporting suspected fraud:
800-680-7289
Fraud Victim Assistance Department
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92634
Phone: 800-916-8800 / 800-680-7289
http://www.transunion.com
When contacting the credit reporting agency, you should request the following: Instruct them to flag your file with a fraud alert including a statement that creditors should get your permission before opening any new accounts in your name.
Ask them for copies of your credit report(s) (credit bureaus must give you a free copy of your report if it is inaccurate because of suspected fraud).
Review your reports carefully to make sure no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts.
NOTE: In order to ensure that you are issued free credit reports, we strongly encourage you to contact the agencies DIRECT LINE (listed above) for reporting fraud. We do not recommend that you order your credit report online.
Be diligent in following up on your accounts. In the coming months, order new copies of your reports to verify your corrections and changes, and to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.
If you find that any accounts have been tampered with or opened fraudulently, close them immediately. To ensure that you do not become responsible for any debts or charges, use the ID Theft Affidavit Form developed by the Federal Trade Commission to help make your case with creditors.
Will the university contact me to ask for private information because of this event?
In similar cases at other institutions, people have reportedly been contacted by individuals claiming to represent the university and who then proceed to ask for personal information, including social security numbers and/or credit card information. We will not contact you and ask for private information because of this event. Do not release any private information in response to contacts of this nature.
Ongoing Measures. Please know that the university faculty and staff are committed to protecting all personal information. We sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern that this situation may cause. The investigation subsequent to this incident is ongoing. Please be assured that the University will investigate this matter thoroughly and that immediate steps have been taken to prevent this type of incident from occurring in the future.
|
