Identity Alert

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Notification Letter (Dec.12, 2006)
(text only version)

Follow-up Letter (Jan. 10, 2007)
(text only version)

News Release

This Web site has been established to provide information about an incident in which a sophisticated computer hacker illegally accessed a UCLA database. The announcement was made Dec. 12, 2006, and UCLA began notifying approximately 800,000 people whose names and certain personal information are in the database (see Notification Letter). UCLA takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard personal information and regrets the inconvenience caused by this illegal and fraudulent activity.

Key Updates:

• On March 21, 2007, UCLA's Associate Vice Chancellor for Information Technology testified before a congressional committee considering legislation regarding notification procedures. The testimony provides a description of what happened, how UCLA responded and some of the university's information technology security measures.
  
  
• Did you know that you can renew your 90-fraud alert? You can renew your alert any time after the 90 day period expires, for an unlimited number of times and always at no cost to you. (See Additional Credit Protection Options.)
  
  
• An ongoing investigation has found that the Social Security numbers of approximately 28,600 people in the database were illegally retrieved by the hacker. UCLA began notifying them on Jan. 10, 2007 (see Follow-up Letter). The affected parties are limited to approximately 18,500 UCLA student financial aid applicants from 2002 through 2006 and 10,100 former employees who separated from UCLA, the University of California Office of the President and UC Merced between 1995 and 2003, plus one who left in 1988. If you are in this group, it does not mean you are the victim of identity theft or that your Social Security number has been misused.
  
  
• If you want to know whether you are among the approximately 800,000 people in the database or among the 28,600 whose Social Security numbers were illegally retrieved by the hacker, call the Identity Alert Hotline established by UCLA. The phone number is (877) 533-8082. Operators may need to ask you for additional information, such as the month and day of your birth or the last four digits of your Social Security number, in order to distinguish you from others with the same name.
  
  
• Regardless of whether or not the hacker has your personal information, UCLA recommends that all those in the compromised database contact the three national credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on their credit files. This instructs creditors to watch for unusual or suspicious activity, such as someone attempting to open a new credit card account in your name. A fraud alert, which can be reinstated after the initial 90-day period, entitles consumers to a free credit report from each of the three national credit bureaus. In addition to free credit reports available to those placing fraud alerts, federal law entitles consumers to one free credit report from each credit bureau once a year. By staggering the times at which free credit reports are ordered, consumers can monitor their own credit without incurring financial costs. Details on protecting your credit are available on this site at Protecting Your Credit and Additional Credit Protection Options.
  
  
• If you believe you are a victim of fraud or identity theft resulting from this hacking incident, UCLA and the FBI urge you to contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and submit an online report. In a news release, the FBI said: “All reports submitted will be analyzed and follow-up action taken where appropriate.”

Reports can be filed at: http://www.ic3.gov.
The news release is at: http://losangeles.fbi.gov/pressrel/2006/la121506.htm.