Personal Injury Law

3.3 Million Students Affected By MN Loan Company's Data Breach

By Jamie Sheller

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune reported that the Oakdale, MN headquarters of Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC), a company that processes student loans nationwide, suffered a break-in either March 20 or early March 21, affecting the identities of 3.3 million students. The company is saying that this could be one of the largest student identity theft cases in the nation. About five percent of all students receiving federal loans in the United States are affected. ECMC is reporting that stolen data includes names, addresses, birthdates and Social Security numbers. In addition, the company is stating that bank account or other financial information was not part of the identity theft. As of this past weekend, ECMC is 'not aware of any instance of this data being misused.' Portable media devices housed in a secure location at ECMC were stolen. The FBI has been brought in said Justin Hamilton, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Education.

Sheller, P.C. represents plaintiffs nationwide who have been affected by data breaches. If you have been affected or received a notice of the data breach at Educational Credit Management Corporation, please contact Sheller, P.C.

Full post as published by Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer on March 29, 2010 (boomark / email).