FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 16, 2002

CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

DRAKE AND DES MOINES POLICE INVESTIGATING SUSPECTED THEFT OF STUDENT IDENTITIES

Earlier this week Drake University became aware that an identity theft incident affecting a number of Drake students has taken place.

On Monday afternoon and Tuesday, Drake's Financial Aid Office received several calls from students who had been contacted by Wells Fargo Financial regarding credit applications that had been made in their names on a local furniture retailer's Web site.

Drake's Campus Security Office also started receiving calls from some of these same students regarding false credit applications made in their name. At this point, 10 students have contacted Campus Security, and six have also filed complaints with the Des Moines Police Department.

It became apparent to Wells Fargo that the applications were suspicious when they checked the applicant information against a national consumer reporting database and discovered the addresses on the credit applications had been altered.

Late this afternoon, Drake was made aware of four additional identity theft complaints filed by Drake students with the Des Moines Police Department as a result of fraudulent instant credit applications and purchases at several other retail establishments.

Drake is investigating these incidents in an effort to narrow the possible sources of confidential student information that may have been used in the identity theft. At this time, there is no evidence that unauthorized students, employees or "hackers" obtained this information directly from Drake's computer information systems. Detective Brad Wells is heading the Des Moines Police Department's investigation of these incidents.

With regard to the attempted identity theft earlier this week, Wells Fargo determined that the identities used in the credit applications were suspicious, no credit was established and no fraudulent purchases have been charged to the affected students.

WHAT DRAKE IS DOING

Drake is working with Wells Fargo and the Des Moines Police Department in the investigation of these incidents.

The University also is taking steps to ensure the proper handling, storage and destruction of confidential personal information to avoid such incidents in the future.

In addition, Drake is notifying faculty, staff and students of these incidents, as well as reiterating the need for proper handling of confidential information. The University is including information (below) outlining the steps individuals should take in dealing with actual or suspected identity theft.

Drake is in the process of converting to the Banner campus information system. By spring 2003, the new Student Information System will create a unique identifying number for each student. Social Security numbers will no longer be used as the student ID number, which will make it much more difficult to “steal” a student's identity.

IF YOU SUSPECT YOUR IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN

Contact Drake Campus Security if you believe the theft took place on campus and/or from confidential personal information maintained by Drake.

File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where it was stolen. In Des Moines, that number is 283-4811. Filing a police report helps prove your diligence to credit reporting agencies and credit providers, as well as taking the first step toward an investigation of the suspected incident.

Contact the three national credit reporting organizations IMMEDIATELY to place a fraud alert on your name, address and Social Security Number, and ask them to send you a copy of your credit file. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE IN PROTECTING YOURSELF, SO DON'T DELAY MAKING THESE CALLS.

• Equifax (www.equifax.com) , 800-525-6285
• Experian (www.experian.com), 888-397-3742 (Formerly TRW)
• TransUnion (www.transunion.com), 800-680-7289

If the theft involves credit cards, cancel them immediately. Make sure you have the credit card numbers and the credit card company's toll-free numbers handy, and keep them where you can find them easily.

If the theft involves a checkbook or ATM card, contact your bank immediately.

Contact the Social Security Administration Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271.

Call the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft Hotline toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) to file a complaint and seek assistance on potential credit-related problems that could result.

For more information on how to protect yourself against identity fraud, go to the Federal Trade Commission's identity theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft/.