Employee ID Cards and ID Theft: Is There a Connection?

Everyone who works for UC Davis has an employee ID card, but few of us know what exactly is stored on that card, other than the obvious name, employee ID number, and library number. Well, as it turns out, that's about it. You'll be happy to learn that someone who happened to pick up a lost ID card would know not much more about you than that, "not even your middle name," points out Eben Sutton, Associate Accounting Officer for Financial Services, and supervisor to the Employee ID Card office.

Nevertheless, you'd want to report your card missing should you lose it, cautions Librarian Gail Nichols. "The thing we're most worried about in that case is someone checking out books on another person's card," she explains.

So rest assured; your personal identity is pretty safe from ID thieves where your employee ID card is concerned, but that shouldn't stop you from reporting it missing, should you happen to lose it someday.

And keep in mind that there's much to know about ID theft. Read on to inform yourself...

Know which information is sensitive:

  • Credit card, drivers license, social security, and telephone numbers
  • Financial account information
  • Home addresses
  • Educational, medical, and employment history

Know where this information resides:

  • Federal grant applications
  • Performance evaluations
  • Downloads from PPS and Banner
  • Online order forms or auction Web sites
  • Digital access to bank, credit card, or other account information
  • Emails or instant messages

Know which devices are vulnerable:

  • Computers, laptops, PDAs, cell phones, blackberries, and other mobile devices

Know how to avoid becoming a victim:

  • Get to know UC Davis' Cyber-safety Program Policy, which defines individual and campus unit responsibilities as well as 14 key practices for protecting campus computin g systems and electronic data.
  • Remove unnecessary personal information from your home and work computers and mobile devices.
  • Transfer personal files to removable media or make them useless to hackers and thieves by using encryption.
  • Keep software patches, anti-spyware and anti-virus programs up-to-date.
  • Use passwords that are difficult to guess and keep them secret.
  • Password protect your phone, bank, and credit card accounts.
  • Order a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (visit consumer.gov/idtheft for directions on how to order three free credit reports per year).
  • Learn about information security procedures in the workplace; find out who has access to your personal information and verify that it is stored securely.
  • NB: You might need to speak to your department's Technology Support Coordinator (TSC) or other technical support person for more detailed information regarding personal data management. Visit tsp.ucdavis.edu to locate your department's TSC.

Know the warning signs of ID theft:

  • There is unauthorized activity on your credit report.
  • Expected bills do not arrive, or unexpected ones do.
  • You are denied credit for no apparent reason.

Know what to do if you become a victim:

  • Immediately close the accounts that have been tampered with.
  • File fraud reports with the police and federal government (consumer.gov/idtheft).
  • Call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline (1-877-ID THEFT).

Know what to do if you suspect someone has gained unauthorized access to your workplace data:

  • Report security breaches to your department's technical support person and/or to abuse@ucdavis.edu.

Know where to go for more information: