Baruch College: Notice of Security Incident

Baruch College (“Baruch”) is providing notice of a recent incident that may affect certain individuals’ personal information. The information on this webpage intends to share what happened, what information was potentially accessed, what Baruch is doing in response to the incident, and what steps individuals can take to help protect themselves.

On December 14, 2024, Baruch experienced a cybersecurity incident, which led to unauthorized access to documents contained within its system. Baruch takes the confidentiality, privacy, and security of personal information in its care seriously. Upon discovery, Baruch immediately launched an investigation to confirm the nature and scope of the incident. Baruch reported this incident to law enforcement and is taking steps to implement additional safeguards and review policies and procedures relating to data privacy and security.

Baruch is unable to definitively say what specific sensitive personal information was accessed by the unauthorized third party. Out of an abundance of caution, the school has decided to notify Baruch current and former students, faculty and staff because their information is or has been processed by Baruch. Therefore, the school cannot rule out the possibility that their sensitive personal information may have been involved in the incident. All potentially impacted individuals are eligible to receive complimentary credit monitoring services for two years. You can find more information about these services here: https://response.idx.us/Baruch. Please refer to your March 7, 2025 email from Baruch College to obtain enrollment codes that will activate your services.

While the specific data elements vary for each potentially affected individual, and some individuals may not be affected at all, the information potentially involved could include an individual’s name, and one or more of the following, if that information was provided to Baruch and affected by the incident: social security number; driver’s license number or government issued identification number, credit or debit card number; financial account number; medical or health information, or information provided as part of disability services or counseling center services.

Baruch encourages individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and monitor free credit reports for suspicious activity. Out of an abundance of caution, if you would like to take additional measures to protect yourself from identity theft, you can review the general advice provided by the Federal Trade Commission here: https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft. Additional information is contained at the bottom of this email.

For more information or if you have any questions about this incident, please contact us toll-free at 1-877-721-7266, via email SecurityInquiries@baruch.cuny.edu, or visit https://response.idx.us/Baruch, to enroll in free credit monitoring and related services we are offering.

Important Additional Information

Monitoring: You should always remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft, especially during the next 12-24 months, by reviewing payment card account statements and monitoring your credit reports for suspicious or unusual activity and immediately report any suspicious activity or incidents of identity theft. You have the right to obtain or file a police report. You can contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for more information on preventing identity theft. We encourage you to report any incidents of identity theft to the FTC.

Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center

600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20580 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338) www.identitytheft.gov

Credit Reports: You may obtain a copy of your credit report, for free, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account, from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.

Fraud Alerts: You have the right to place fraud alerts with the three credit bureaus by phone and online with Equifax (https://assets.equifax.com/assets/personal/Fraud_Alert_Request_Form.pdf), Experian (www.experian.com/fraud/center.html) or Transunion (www.transunion.com/fraud-victim-resource/place-fraud-alert). A fraud alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures, including contacting you, before they open any new accounts or change your existing accounts. For that reason, placing a fraud alert can protect you, but also may delay you when you seek to obtain credit. Initial fraud alerts last for one year. Victims of identity theft can also get an extended fraud alert for seven years. The phone numbers for all three credit bureaus are at the bottom of this page.

Security Freeze: You also have the right to place a security freeze on your credit report. A security freeze is intended to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. To place a security freeze on your credit report, you need to make a request to each consumer reporting agency by visiting their websites below or by mail. To place the security freeze for yourself, your spouse, or a minor under the age of 16, you will need to provide your name, address for the past two years, date of birth, Social Security number, proof of identity and proof of address as requested by the credit reporting company. After receiving your freeze request, each credit reporting company will send you a confirmation letter containing a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password, which will be needed to lift the freeze, which you can do either temporarily or permanently. It is free to place, lift, or remove a security freeze.

For residents of New York:

You can obtain information from the New York Office of the Attorney General and the FTC about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take to prevent identity theft:

New York Attorney General
120 Broadway, 3rd Fl
New York, NY 10271
1-800-771-7755
https://ag.ny.gov/resources/individuals/credit-debt-lending/identity-theft