November 28 , 2005
Volume 2005 – Issue 60

Preventing Identity Theft Using Secure E-mail Transmissions

Often institutions need to send information about loan disbursements, cancellations or refunds to the Utah Higher Education Assistance Authority (UHEAA). Personal identifying information, such as a social security number, is often a necessary part of these transmittals. One area that can be vulnerable to identity theft is the use of common e-mail. In order to assist institutions wishing to communicate to UHEAA by e-mail and to protect any data that may contain personal identifying information, UHEAA has developed a secure e-mail process. Please contact UHEAA at onelinksupport@utahsbr.edu to have secure e-mail set up for your institution.

Identity theft is the fastest growing criminal activity in the U.S. A survey of the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that victims of identity theft spend an average of 81 hours trying to resolve the damage caused by this silent crime. Among the many methods used by criminals to steal a person’s identity is attacking the vulnerability of unsecured e-mail transmissions. By establishing a secure e-mail process with UHEAA, institutions may be more confident that personal identifying information will be safeguarded.

In addition to establishing a secure method to use e-mail, institutions and individuals are encouraged to periodically review other practices used to protect sensitive information that may reside on computers or be located in office areas where unauthorized personnel could gain access.

Any questions related to this Bulletin should be directed to UHEAA Policy and Training at 801.321.7166 or by e-mail to mjohnson@utahsbr.edu.