How Did This Happen and Other Frequently Asked Questions
What happened?
Who is affected?
What is the University of Maryland doing about it?
How do I place a fraud alert?
How do I enroll in Equifax Service?
What if I am under 18 years old?
What is the University's policy on use of Social Security numbers and privacy?
How will we avoid a recurrence of such an incident?
Q: What happened?
A: In our annual effort to provide parking and transportation information to the University community, the names and addresses of all registered students was requested internally at the Department of Transportation Services for the purpose of creating mailing labels for a brochure. This information was generated by a computer query and included names, addresses and what was believed to be University identification numbers (UIDs). Our normal process is to remove the University ID numbers prior to mailing. It was not apparent to departmental staff that these numbers not only still existed within the file, but were Social Security numbers, and not University ID numbers. The error was discovered on the morning of July 8 when calls were made to the University. Currently, there is no evidence that anyone's Social Security number has been misused.
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Q: Who is affected?
A:This parking mailer was sent to all individuals registered for Fall 2008 classes at the University of Maryland as of June 15, 2008. The mailing list numbered 23, 727 individuals. If you have not received this mailer and are unsure if you are included in the affected group, please call (301) 314-7179, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. EST.
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Q: What is the University of Maryland doing about it?
A: All recipients of this parking mailer have been notified via e-mail and U.S. mail regarding the incident, and have been provided with a couple of options. They may opt to place a free 90-day fraud alert on their consumer credit and/or enroll in a program to monitor the security of their personal data, at the University's expense.
How do I place a free fraud alert?
Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three consumer reporting companies below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of your report, too.
- Equifax: 1(877) 478- 7625; www.fraudalerts.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
- Experian: 1(888) EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013
- TransUnion: 1(800) 680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
- This information is credited to the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Web site.
Visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft/ for more information
What more can I do?
If individuals feel that they would like to take extra steps beyond the fraud alert, the University has arranged with Equifax to make available, at no cost to them, a 12-month service that includes credit monitoring, customer care, fraud expense reimbursement insurance and access to their credit report. To access this service, you must select your choice of Equifax service, and enroll with Equifax by September 10, 2008. You may choose either Equifax Credit Watch Gold, an online service, or Equifax Credit Watch by Mail, a service provided through the U.S. Postal Service. The descriptions for each program are as follows:
Equifax Credit Watch Gold (Online)
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● Comprehensive credit file monitoring of your Equifax credit report with daily on-line notification of key changes to your credit file. Wireless alerts and customize alerts are available
● Unlimited internet delivery of Equifax Credit Reports™
● $20,000 identity fraud expense reimbursement insurance (subject to limits and exclusions; not available to residents of New York)
● 24 by 7 live customer service to assist in understanding the content of your Equifax credit information, and to provide identity theft victim assistance, and assistance in initiating an investigation of inaccurate information.
Equifax Credit Watch by Mail
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Q: How do I enroll in the Equifax monitoring service?
A: You will be directed to a secure site in which you will be required to enter your University of Maryland Directory ID. Upon authentication, you will be given your unique, one-time use only Equifax promotional code which you will use to access the Equifax Web site at www.myservices.equifax.com/gold
STEP 1
Get Promotion Code
STEP 2
ENROLL IN EQUIFAX CREDIT WATCH GOLD (Online)
- VISIT www.myservices.equifax.com/gold
- CONSUMER INFORMATION: Complete the form with your contact information (name/address/e-mail address) and click "Continue" button. The information is provided in a secure environment.
- IDENTITY VERIFICATION: Complete the form with your Social Security number, date of birth, telephone numbers, create a user name and password, agree to the Terms of Use and click "Continue" button. The system will ask you up to two security questions to verify your identity.
- PAYMENT INFORMATION: During the "check out" process, provide your promotional code in the "Enter Promotion Code" box (no spaces, include dash). Don't have your code? Get promotion code. After entering your code, click the "Apply Code" button and then the "Submit Order" button at the bottom of the page. (This promotion code eliminates the need to provide a credit card number for payment.)
- ORDER CONFIRMATION: Click "View My Product" to access your credit report and other product features.
OR
ENROLL IN EQUIFAX CREDIT WATCH BY MAIL
- DIAL 1(866)937-8432 for access to the Equifax Credit Watch automated enrollment process. Note that all credit reports and alerts will be sent to you via U.S. Mail only.
- PROMOTION CODE: You will be asked to enter your promotion code (no spaces, no dash). Don't have your code? Get promotion code.
- CUSTOMER INFORMATION: You will be asked to enter you home telephone number, home address, name, date of birth and Social Security number.
- PERMISSIBLE PURPOSE: You will be asked to provide Equifax with your permission to access your credit file and to monitor your file. Without your agreement, Equifax cannot process your enrollment.
- ORDER CONFIRMATION: Equifax will provide a confirmation number with an explanation that you will receive your Fulfillment Kit via the U.S. Mail (when Equifax is able to verify your identity) or a Customer Care letter with further instructions (if your identity cannot be verified using the information provided).
Remember: The deadline to enroll in this plan is September 10, 2008.
We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this free monitoring service, and to review your account statements for suspicious activity. If you have reason to believe that your information is being misused, you should file a report with local law enforcement, and get a copy of the police report. Many creditors require the information the report contains to absolve cardholders of fraudulent debts. More information about identity theft is available from the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov/idtheft/ or at 1(877) ID-THEFT (438-4338). Additional information is also available at www.nethics.umd.edu/resources/factsheets/id_theft.htm.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us at 1(877) 935-2428, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST. You may also e-mail questions to parkingmailer@umd.edu. Visit the associated and relevant links on this site for useful, pertinent information on identity fraud and how to protect yourself.
What if I am under 18 years old?
Minors typically do not have a credit file, which is required for enrollment in the Equifax Credit Watch product. However, to give parents/guardians peace of mind that their child does not have a credit file they can take the following actions.
1) Try to place a fraud alert on the child's credit report
Call 1-877-478-7625 - The system will ask for Social Security Number and address information. If the system responds by asking for additional id verification documents such as SSN card, then this confirms that the child does not have a credit file.
2) Credit file search at www.annualcreditreport.com
Enter the child's information. If the system responds by asking for additional id verification documents such as SSN card, then this confirms that the child does not have a credit file.
3) Parents/guardians can send a copy of the minor child’s birth certificate and a copy of a social security number card or letter/form from the Social Security Administration along with a letter explaining that they may be a victim of identity theft. Additionally, please provide a copy of your driver's license or other government-issued proof of your identity, which includes your current address. Please send this information to the following address:
Equifax Information Services
P.O. Box 740256
Atlanta, Georgia 30374
Once Equifax receives this information, it will perform a search of its database for a credit file under the child's SSN number. If Equifax does NOT find a match then we will inform the parent or guardian in writing that a credit file was not found.
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Q: What is the University's policy on use of Social Security numbers and privacy?
A: With the approval of the Policy on Collection, Use and Protection of ID Numbers in May 2005, the University moved aggressively to limit the use of the Social Security Number (SSN), and moved to the widespread use of alternate identifiers (the University ID Number, and the Directory ID). For a variety of purposes, it will always be necessary to obtain and store the SSN for students and employees but it is only permitted in limited cases, and in increasingly secure environments. The long-term goal is to convert all University systems to use alternate identifiers.
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Q: How will we avoid a recurrence of such an incident?
A: In response to this incident, the University, and specifically the Department of Transportation Services, has moved to severely restrict access to sensitive student and faculty/staff information; we believe the fewer individuals who have access to this data will only increase our ability to protect sensitive information. We place the utmost importance in safeguarding personal information.
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Protecting Your Credit and Additional Resources
What is a fraud alert?
According to the Federal Trade Commission, there are two types of fraud alerts: an initial alert, and an extended alert.
- An initial fraud alert stays on your credit report for at least 90 days. You may ask that an initial fraud alert be placed on your credit report if you suspect you have been, or are about to be, a victim of identity theft. An initial alert is appropriate if your wallet has been stolen or if you've been taken in by a "phishing" scam. With an initial fraud alert, potential creditors must use what the law refers to as “reasonable policies and procedures” to verify your identity before issuing credit in your name. However, the steps potential creditors take to verify your identity may not always alert them that the applicant is not you. When you place an initial fraud alert on your credit report, you're entitled to order one free credit report from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports.
- An extended fraud alert stays on your credit report for seven years. You can have an extended alert placed on your credit report if you've been a victim of identity theft and you provide the consumer reporting company with an Identity Theft Report. An automated Identity Theft Report should be sufficient to obtain an extended fraud alert. With an extended fraud alert, potential creditors must actually contact you, or meet with you in person, before they issue you credit. When you place an extended alert on your credit report, you're entitled to two free credit reports within twelve months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies. In addition, the consumer reporting companies will remove your name from marketing lists for pre-screened credit offers for five years unless you ask them to put your name back on the list before then.
To place either of these alerts on your credit report, or to have them removed, you will be required to provide appropriate proof of your identity: that may include your Social Security number, name, address and other personal information requested by the consumer reporting company.
As mentioned, depending on the type of fraud alert you place, potential creditors must either contact you or take reasonable steps to verify your identity. This may cause some delays if you're trying to obtain credit. To compensate for possible delays, you may wish to include a cell phone number, where you can be reached easily, in your alert. Remember to keep all contact information in your alert current.
- This information is credited to the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Web site.
Visit www.ftc.gov/idtheft/ for more information.
What is a credit file security freeze?
You may place a security freeze on your Equifax credit report under state law or the Equifax
voluntary security freeze program. A security freeze prevents the information in your Equifax credit file from being reported to others, such as credit grantors and other companies, except
those exempted by law or those for whom you contacted us and requested that we
temporarily lift the security freeze or those that access during a period of time when you
requested we temporarily lift the security freeze. Go to www.fraudalerts.equifax.com and
click on “security freeze” for more information and to find your state guidelines.
- This information is credited to the Equifax Web site.
Visit www.fraudalerts.equifax.com for more information.
Resources
Minimize your risk of identity theft
Safeguarding and detecting my personal information
What steps do I take if I am a victim of identity theft?
Additional tools
- This information is credited to the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Web site.
Contact Information
Still have questions? You may contact us in one of the following ways:
By telephone: Toll-free 1(877) 935-2428, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST
Via e-mail: parkingmailer@umd.edu
Mailing address: Regents Drive Garage, Building #202, College Park, MD 20742
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