COLORADO COMPUTER CONTAINING STUDENT DATA STOLEN FROM FACULTY MEMBER'S OFFICE 9NEWS - Article - Metro says 988 students at risk of identity theft:

Metro says 988 students at risk of identity theft

DENVER – Metropolitan State College says a laptop computer with the names and Social Security numbers of nearly 1,000 former students.

Metro State says it is working with both Denver and Auraria Campus Police after the computer was stolen on the afternoon of February 28th from a faculty member’s office on campus.

The computer contained roster information of 988 students enrolled in the faculty member’s classes from the beginning of the 1999 fall semester to the end of the 2002 fall semester. The computer was password protected, but Social Security numbers were used to identify each student.

Metro State says there is no evidence that personal data was actually taken off the computer or misused. However, the school is notifying each person whose name and Social Security number was on the computer and recommending they put a fraud alert on their credit reports.

There is also a special Web site for people concerned their information is at risk: www.mscd.edu/securityalert/.

In addition, there is a toll-free number at 1-866-737-6622 to answer specific questions.