Modern Languages and Literature
February 4, 2010
I am writing to inform you of a situation that could affect you. In the Fall Quarter 2009, it was discovered that a Cal Poly, College of Liberal Arts’ laptop computer assigned to a faculty member in the Modern Languages and Literatures Department was taken in for repair while being used on international travel. The hard drive was removed from the computer. Although the computer and hard drive were returned to the user, the hard drive contained personal information.
The results of a detailed analysis and reconstruction of the data elements completed in January 2010 by Cal Poly indicated that personal information was found on the drive, including names, social security numbers, email addresses, and cell and/or home phone numbers. The information on the drive has since been destroyed and is no longer accessible.
While there is no indication that your private information was accessed, we are sending you this information consistent with California Civil Code 1798.29, commonly referred to as SB 1386. We consider any breach of our computer security a serious matter.
While we cannot advise you on how to proceed, one option you have is to contact one of the credit reporting agencies, each of which has an automated phone-in fraud alert process. To understand the effects of a fraud alert, see the Fact Sheet on Credit Freeze and Fraud Alerts.
Contact information for the credit agencies is listed below:
- · Equifax - 800.525.6285 - http://www.equifax.com/home/en_us
- · Experian - 888.397.3742 - http://www.experian.com/
- · Trans Union - 800.680.7289 - http://www.transunion.com/
Once you receive your credit reports, review them for any suspicious activity. If you see any accounts you did not open or incorrect personal information, call the credit bureau(s) or your local law enforcement agency (e.g., city police department) to file a report of identity theft. The following resources can provide additional information about identity theft:
- California Attorney General's Office - http://ag.ca.gov/idtheft/tips.php
- The Federal Trade Commission - http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft
- California Office of Privacy Protection
The Modern Languages and Literatures Department, College of Liberal Arts, and Cal Poly take security of personal data seriously. Steps have been taken to assure that this does not happen again, including properly destroying the file that contained the personal information; no longer using social security numbers as identifiers for students, staff, and faculty; and encouraging the use of data-limited check out computers for travel.
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Debra Valencia-Laver, Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts at 805.756.2359 or dlvalenc@calpoly.edu.
