The Internal Revenue Service is continuing its investigation of identity theft cases in the community involving the filing of fraudulent tax returns. Although some University employees have been affected, there continues to be no evidence of a link between this tax fraud incident and Oakland University. To date, the IRS has not identified a responsible party.
The University will disseminate further information as appropriate and as allowed by the IRS.
Find Out If You Have Been Affected
Find out if you are personally affected by calling the IRS at (800) 908-4490, ext. 245. The unit office is open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you have been affected, you should do the following:
File an Identity Theft Affidavit (Form 14039) with the IRS. The form can be downloaded at irs.gov.
Report the incident to your local police department or in person to the Oakland University Police Department, located in the Police Support Services Building. Reports cannot be taken over the phone.
How To Help Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
Check your credit report periodically. That may help you spot problems and address them quickly. Under Federal Law, you are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the nationwide credit reporting companies. Call (877) 322-8228 or request your free credit report online at annualcreditreport.com.
You can also place an initial fraud alert on your credit files. A fraud alert tells creditors to contact you personally before they open any new accounts. The three major credit bureaus are:
TransUnion
Consumer Fraud Division
PO Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 transunion.com/fraud
(800) 680-7289
The University has notified Fidelity and TIAA-CREF of this matter and they have notified their security departments to be extra vigilant with Oakland University employees' transactions.
University-Provided Credit Monitoring Services
The University will provide credit monitoring services through the University's vendor for employees who are victims of a fraudulent income tax return and who file a police report. Those requesting credit monitoring services should contact University Risk Management at (248) 370-4929 for additional information.
Samuel C. Lucido
Chief of Police
February 10, 2014 Notice
To the campus community,
The Internal Revenue Service is investigating a number of identity theft cases in the community involving the filing of fraudulent tax returns. Over the last few days, Oakland University became aware that some of those affected by this tax return fraud were Oakland University employees.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest a link between this tax fraud incident and Oakland University. However, it is prudent that all Oakland University employees remain vigilant to this type of fraud. It is recommended that individuals file their returns as quickly as possible in order to minimize the risk of this type of fraudulent activity.
If you believe that you are a victim of this type of tax fraud, it is recommended that you do the following:
• Call the IRS at (800) 908-4490, ext. 245 to report the incident. The unit office is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. To 7 p.m.
• File an identity theft affidavit (Form 14039) with the IRS. The form can be downloaded at irs.gov.
• Report the incident to your local police department or in person to the Oakland University Police Department, located in the Police and Support Services building. Reports cannot be taken over the phone.
If you have further questions, call ext. 2445 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Samuel C. Lucido
Chief of Police
The Internal Revenue Service is continuing its investigation of identity theft cases in the community involving the filing of fraudulent tax returns.
Created by David Groves (groves@oakland.edu) on Thursday, February 13, 2014 Modified by Colleen Campbell (cjcampbell@oakland.edu) on Monday, February 17, 2014 Article Start Date: Thursday, February 13, 2014
