The Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance has waited a month to inform students that a disc containing their FAFSA information has been lost. The FAFSA includes information “generally used in identity theft like names and social security numbers,” according to Melanie Amrhein, director of the office. The disc had “added security measures” that she says makes it “unlikely” that anyone will decipher the data.

Maybe the disc has that new Sony Blu-ray DRM. Ohh, mean!

Anyhow, if you fall into any of the following categories, your data might have been compromised:

• Anyone who has a Louisiana College Savings account (START Saving Program).
• Any resident of the state of Louisiana who has completed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Anyone who has completed a FAFSA and included a Louisiana postsecondary institution as an institution to which FAFSA data should be sent.
• Anyone who has applied for or received a Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) Scholarship.
• Anyone who has applied for or who has received student financial aid in the State of Louisiana.

To see if your data is among the missing, click here.

Security of FAFSA, TOPS compromised [LSU Daily Reveille] (Thanks, Geoffrey!)
(Photo:buildscharacter)

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