Avoiding Identity Theft
AES/PHEAA Investigative Services is dedicated to ensuring the integrity of student financial assistance programs. We work to create solutions to avoid the theft of borrower identity, helping to make student loan repayment, and your daily life, as hassle-free as possible.
- What is identity theft?
- What are the effects of identity theft?
- How does identity theft happen?
- How do I protect myself from identity theft?
- What should I do if I become a victim of identity theft?
Identity theft occurs when someone steals your identity and impersonates you in order to obtain student loans or other forms of financial aid. Fraudulent credit card accounts could be opened or other criminal acts committed USING YOUR IDENTITY!
You may not know when it happens. One day you may be turned down unexpectedly for a loan, get a call from a collection agency about an account you never opened or worse yet, a call from the police about a crime you didn't commit. Suddenly you are a victim of identity theft.
What are the effects of identity theft?
On average, identity theft is not discovered until 14 months after the crime has occurred. By this time, the thief has wreaked havoc on the victim's credit rating. Victims might spend months or even years regaining their credit worthiness. In the meantime, the victims find it difficult to obtain loans, get a job, an apartment, or even write checks.
How does identity theft happen?
Criminals steal personal information, such as Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, ATM card numbers, telephone calling card numbers and other key pieces of personal data and use them to impersonate their victims. After assuming your identity, they will quickly move to spend or borrow as much money as they can before moving on to their next victim.
Methods with which criminals gain access to your identity:
- Steal your mail
- Looking through your garbage - “dumpster diving”
- Steal your wallet or purse
- Pose as your bank or utility company needing to “update their records”
- Grab information off Internet sites that are not secure
- Steal information from “the inside”- as in a grocery store clerk's taking information off of a check you have written
Once the thief has this information, they may open a new credit card account or apply for financial aid using your identity and their address. Chances are, you will be unaware that any of this has taken place until the bills go unpaid. The creditor then reports the delinquency to your credit file.
How do I protect myself from identity theft?
Prevention is the first step in battling identity theft. To minimize the risk of someone’s stealing your identity and the hassle of cleaning up the aftermath, follow these guidelines:
- Carry only the credit cards and ID that you need to have with you; file others in a secure place.
- Sign your credit cards immediately.
- Do not carry your Social Security card with you. Keep it in a secure place.
- Do not attach a Personal Identification Number (PIN) or Social Security number to any cards you carry with you. When applying for financial aid, obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN) from the U.S. Department of Education. This will allow you access to your personal account at AES. Because your PIN serves as your electronic signature, you should never reveal your PIN to anyone, even if that person is helping you fill out the FAFSA. The only time you should be using your PIN is when you are on AES/PHEAA or U.S. Department of Education sites, which are secure.
- Do not attach a PIN or Social Security number to any cards you carry with you.
- Do not attach or write a PIN or Social Security number on anything you are going to discard (e.g. a receipt).
- Shred any document that contains your Social Security number or a credit card number.
- Check receipts and other documents to ensure they pertain to you and not someone else.
- Alert any creditor if you do not receive your statement. Someone may have taken it from your mailbox.
- Do not give personal information or account numbers to anyone until you have confirmed the identity of the person requesting the information and verified that you need to provide them with the information.
- Check your credit report annually.
- Know what type of student financial aid you are applying for (e.g. loans, grants) and the amounts of the aid awarded. Make sure the amount is promptly credited to your school account.
- Immediately report the suspected theft or loss of a key identification document such as a driver's license, passport or Social Security card to the issuing agency.
What should I do if I become a victim of identity theft?
Your should immediately take the following steps if you become a victim:
- FIRST, contact the fraud department of each of the three major credit bureaus (see below). Request that a "fraud alert" be placed on your credit file. This alert will warn creditors to be especially careful in authenticating the identity of anyone claiming to be you. This means you cannot obtain instant credit, a minor inconvenience in light of the damage identity theft can do.
- File a report with your local police department and make sure to get a copy.
- Contact each credit grantor who has opened a fraudulent account to let them know that you are not the person responsible for opening the account. Have them close these accounts. If you open new accounts, make sure to place passwords on them.
- Call the Identity Theft Toll-free Hotline at 1-877-438-4338. This is the central point of contact within the federal government for reporting incidents of identity theft.
- Remember to close the accounts that you know or believe have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
REMEMBER: If someone has stolen your identity and you are concerned about your AES-guaranteed loans or grants, or are suspicious about student financial aid granted under your identity, you may contact AES Investigative Services at 717-720-2740, or via email at: investigativeservices@aesSuccess.org. However, if AES services your loan(s), you may contact our office at 800-233-0557 to initiate an investigation of Identity Theft/Forgery. Alternatively, you may download the appropriate form and return as instructed.
Download Identity Theft Request for Documentation (53 KB PDF)
For more information: www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/misused/index.html.
EQUIFAX: www.equifax.com
TO ORDER YOUR REPORT, call: 1-800-685-1111 or write:
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
TO REPORT FRAUD, call: 1-800-525-6285 or write:
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
EXPERIAN: www.experian.com
TO ORDER YOUR REPORT, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) or write:
P.O. Box 2104
Allen TX 75013
TO REPORT FRAUD, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) or write:
P.O. Box 9532
Allen TX 75013
TRANSUNION: www.transunion.com
TO ORDER YOUR REPORT, call: 800-916-8800 or write:
P.O. Box 1000
Chester, PA 19022.
TO REPORT FRAUD, call: 1-800-680-7289 or write:
Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790