Friday, December 15, 2006
UCLA DATABASE HACKED!
Apparently, everybody wants to be a part of UCLA. Their database was recently hacked into and about 800,000 people's information was made available to the hackers. It's probably nothing, but just be safe, here's some info. (By the way, thanks to Jason for personally calling me to make sure I got the info already).
If you or somebody you know has been affiliated with UCLA in any way since 1990, read on:
Q: How do I know whether I am in the affected data base?
A: If you received notification from UCLA, your name is in the illegally accessed database. Those who don’t know whether they are in the compromised database should phone the Identity Alert Hotline established byUCLA, at (877) 533-8082.
Q: Does this mean I am the victim of identify theft?
A: No. The fact that someone had access to your information doesn’t mean you’re the victim of identity theft or that they intend use the information to commit fraud. The university wanted to let you know about the incident so you can take steps to protect yourself. The best way to protect yourself is to place a fraud alert on your credit files and review your credit reports.
Q: What should I do?
A: As a precaution, UCLA recommends that you contact one of the three national credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your consumer credit file and obtain a copy of your personal credit report. Once a credit bureau places a fraud alert on your credit file, the two other credit bureaus will automatically do the same. Each bureau will then send you a copy of your credit report. The fraud alert and credit reports are free. Here is the contact information for the fraud divisions of the national credit bureaus:
Equifax: (888) 766-0008 (http://www.equifax.com)
Experian: (888) 397-3742(http://www.experian.com/fraud
TransUnion: (800) 680-7289 (http://www.tuc.com)
Apparently, everybody wants to be a part of UCLA. Their database was recently hacked into and about 800,000 people's information was made available to the hackers. It's probably nothing, but just be safe, here's some info. (By the way, thanks to Jason for personally calling me to make sure I got the info already).
If you or somebody you know has been affiliated with UCLA in any way since 1990, read on:
Q: How do I know whether I am in the affected data base?
A: If you received notification from UCLA, your name is in the illegally accessed database. Those who don’t know whether they are in the compromised database should phone the Identity Alert Hotline established byUCLA, at (877) 533-8082.
Q: Does this mean I am the victim of identify theft?
A: No. The fact that someone had access to your information doesn’t mean you’re the victim of identity theft or that they intend use the information to commit fraud. The university wanted to let you know about the incident so you can take steps to protect yourself. The best way to protect yourself is to place a fraud alert on your credit files and review your credit reports.
Q: What should I do?
A: As a precaution, UCLA recommends that you contact one of the three national credit bureaus to place a fraud alert on your consumer credit file and obtain a copy of your personal credit report. Once a credit bureau places a fraud alert on your credit file, the two other credit bureaus will automatically do the same. Each bureau will then send you a copy of your credit report. The fraud alert and credit reports are free. Here is the contact information for the fraud divisions of the national credit bureaus:
Equifax: (888) 766-0008 (http://www.equifax.com)
Experian: (888) 397-3742(http://www.experian.com/fraud
TransUnion: (800) 680-7289 (http://www.tuc.com)
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