Fraud Prevention Information - Frequently Asked Questions
Fraud Protection
Fraud Prevention Information - Frequently Asked Questions
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What happened?
- How many people were affected by this incident?
- Does the University have any indication that anyone has suffered identity theft as a result of this incident?
- If my personal information was accessed by an unauthorized party, does that mean that I will become a victim of identity theft?
- What is a fraud alert and how does it work?
- Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
- What should I do if I received the email in error?
What happened?
On March 27, 2018, an email with attachments containing the protected information of 154 students was erroneously sent by the Financial Aid Office to 196 unauthorized recipients. These files contained the names, student ID numbers, social security numbers, and award amounts of students who received direct loans or Pell grants for the Spring 2018 semester.
Upon learning of this incident, the University immediately began an investigation and took steps to inform the unintended recipients and those students whose information was compromised. The University deleted the emails and copies of the documents from its systems, and asked the unintended recipients to do the same.
The University also provided resources for fraud detection to the students whose information was compromised.
How many people were affected by this incident?
There were 196 unintended recipients and 154 students whose information was compromised.
Does the University have any indication that anyone has suffered identity theft as a result of this incident?
At this time, there is no indication that anyone has suffered identity theft. However, the University has no way to know whether information has been or will be misused.
It is recommended that you review the identity theft materials posted on the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) website at http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft and https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0275-place-fraud-alert. These websites provide detailed information about protecting yourself from identity theft and about steps to take if it occurs.
If my personal information was accessed by an unauthorized party, does that mean that I will become a victim of identity theft?
Not necessarily. Even if someone did access your information, this does not mean that you have been, or will become, a victim of identity theft or that the unauthorized individual intends to use your personal information to commit fraud. The University notified you about this incident so you can protect yourself. You can do this in several ways: by placing a fraud alert on your credit file; by placing a security freeze on your credit report; and by reviewing your credit reports regularly.
What is a fraud alert and how does it work?
Most credit card companies and other creditors will not issue credit without first checking an applicant’s credit history. A fraud alert tells potential creditors that they should contact you first before issuing new credit in your name, thereby preventing someone from fraudulently obtaining credit without your knowledge. A fraud alert will not prevent you from using your
credit cards or other accounts. A fraud alert, however, may slow the process of receiving new credit since the purpose of the fraud alert is to help protect you against an identity thief opening new credit accounts in your name. When you place a fraud alert on your account, potential creditors receive a message instructing them to re-verify the identity of the person applying for credit before approving the credit application. There is no charge for placing a fraud alert on your credit file. An initial fraud alert lasts for 90 days and is free. You may renew the fraud alert at no cost for an additional 90 days. There is no limit to the number of times you can renew the fraud alert.
You can place a fraud alert on your credit file by contacting any one of the three national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, the others are also notified to place fraud alerts on your credit file. You can contact the credit bureaus as follows (the links below will take you directly to the fraud alert section of the website for each credit bureau):
Equifax 1.800.525.6285
PO Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374
https://www.alerts.equifax.com/AutoFraud_Online/jsp/fraudAlert.jsp
Experian 1.888.397.3742
PO Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion 1.800.680.7289
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834
If you would like a University representative to assist you in using one of these websites to place a fraud alert on your credit file, send an email message to iso@triton.uog.edu.
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
The University has set up call center to provide answers to the frequently asked questions; you can contact the center at (671) 735-2640. Representatives are available to answer your phone call between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. If the call center representatives cannot answer your question, they will take your name and phone number and forward that information to the University, and a University employee will contact you for additional assistance. You also can send your questions directly to the University at fraudprevention@triton.uog.edu, and a University employee will contact you.
What should I do if I received the email in error?
If you received the email, please fill out the form here.
Note that Guam Code Annotated Title 9, Section 46.80, Impersonation; Identity Theft; Defined & Punished, states that:
(a) A person commits an offense when that person:
(4) possesses or obtains any personal identifying information pertaining to another person, without the authorization of that person, and uses or attempts to use that information, or assists another person in using the information, for any unlawful purpose.
For the full Guam Code Annotated law, please see the link below. Refer to GCA Title 9, Section 46.80.
http://www.guamcourts.org/CompilerofLaws/GCA/09gca/9gc046.PDF
