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Students who have experienced identify theft or fraud should take the following steps to protect themselves and future financial aid.
- File a police report with local law enforcement
- Report the fraud to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of the Inspector General (OIG):
Contact the OIG Hotline
The OIG encourages you to use its online form to file your complaint.
You can also download the OIG Hotline Form and mail or fax it to our office. Please note that it will take longer to process your complaint if submitted by mail or fax.
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Inspector General Hotline
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington D.C. 20202-1500
Fax: (202) 245-7047
If you need assistance, please visit the OIG's Frequently Asked Questions page.
- If you suspect that your personal information has been stolen or you’re the victim of other student-centered crime, take action quickly:
• Contact your loan servicer and let them know about the situation.
• Contact the credit reporting agencies and freeze your account so nobody else can open new credit accounts in your name. You’ll find tips and credit agency contact information on the Federal Trade Commission website.
• If you receive an email or text that you believe is a scam, contact the OIG Hotline and be sure to share a copy of the email, text, or phone number related to the call you received.
And you can stay on top of student-centered scams by visiting the following sites: Federal Student Aid, What are the signs of a student loan scam? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) and the Federal Trade Commission
- Change your passwords often to include your FSA ID.
- Contact all three credit bureaus and report your identify as stolen.
- Experian or call (888) 397-3742
- Equifax or call (888) 378-4329
- Transunion or call (833) 806-1627
Once a student has received an official decision by U.S. Department of Education/OIG, the student needs to provide this decision to Admission and Records via a General Petition (found on the Admissions and Records Forms page) to have the student's school records corrected.