COLORADO METROLPOLITAN STATE COLLEGE STUDENTS AT RISK OF IDENTITY THEFT AS COMPUTER STOLEN FROM EMPLOYEE Colorado Daily News: "Metro mishap

By KIM NGUYEN Associated Press Writer
Thursday, March 2, 2006 10:59 PM MST

DENVER - Approximately 93,000 former and current Metropolitan State College of Denver students are at risk of identity theft after a laptop computer containing personal information was stolen from an employee's home over the weekend, college officials said Thursday.

Metro State President Stephen Jordan said a file that may be on the stolen computer contained the names and Social Security numbers of students enrolled from fall 1996 to summer 2005.

The thief took two bags Saturday from the home of an admissions office employee: one containing the computer and another containing books. The data might have been deleted from the computer before it was taken, Jordan said.

Jordan said the school learned of the theft on Monday, and police and school officials spent several days trying to determine whether the file was encrypted before going public and also waited to see if the computer could be quickly recovered. Police decided late Wednesday to allow the school to announce the theft, he said."

He said by Thursday, there was no evidence that information from the computer had been misused.

Students at Metro State's sister institutions - Community College of Denver and University of Colorado at Denver - also could be at risk of identity theft if they enrolled for classes directly through Metro State, Jordan said.

The college is mailing notices to current and former students who might be affected, and officials held an open forum for students Thursday morning. Another was scheduled for Monday.

“I think it's safe to say that there was a significant level of anxiety and concern on this incident and if this can occur again,” Jordan said.

The employee was using the file for a study on behalf of the provost's office for a federal grant, Jordan said.

“The Social Security numbers were used to identify and track individual students and access historical information regarding these students,” the school said in a statement on its Web page.

The college is trying to contact students who are on the list and has also set up a hot line and a Web site on its home page. It is also urging them to consider a fraud alert on their credit reports.

Jordan said the school is fully cooperating with the Denver Police Department's investigation. The school has also contacted the offices of the attorney general, governor, and the state's information system.