Protect Your Identity

Identity theft: It’s a serious threat that’s on the mind of most Americans, thanks to companies such as Yahoo! and Equifax, which have recently admitted serious breaches. In the case of Equifax, a credit reporting agency widely used by major credit card companies, banks, retailers, and lenders (including lenders of student loans), sensitive, personal information in over 143 million records was exposed in 2017. Cybercriminals stole names, email addresses, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and the numbers of some driver’s licenses.

More than 8 million New York residents were affected by the Equifax breach, leading Eric Schneiderman, the New York State Attorney General, to issue a warning about it. Approximately 209,000 individuals in New York State alone also had their credit card numbers stolen.

You could be vulnerable because of this breach and other beaches that have or will occur. It’s important to take steps to protect your personally identifiable information:

1. Do not use the same password for different accounts.
2. If a bank, credit card, or other account offers two-factor authentication, use it.
3. Be wary of cold calls or web browser pop-ups offering you tech support. Fordham University provides free tech support to students and employee. If you need help, give them a call (718-817-3999).
4. Monitor all your accounts for suspicious activity.
5. Educate yourself about cyber security: Take the online, self-paced course, “UISO Security Training.” The course can be accessed in Blackboard, under My Organizations. Login to Blackboard via My.Fordham.edu or directly from Fordham’s Blackboard portal.