OCTOBER, 2004

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Identity Theft

We use personal information every day to conduct the business of our lives.  Our social security number, driver's license number, mother's maiden name, date of birth, photograph - all constitute proof of who we are for the purposes of dealing with banks, credit companies and government agencies.  The theft and fraudulent use of these pieces of information is a growing problem that we should all be aware of.  There are many people who have had their credit ruined by thieves who have used their identification to buy cars, take out loans, obtain cell phones or even counterfeit checks to steal money directly from the victim's bank account. 

There are many ways for a fraudster to obtain your personal information.  Obviously, if you lost your entire wallet or purse that makes it really easy, but even a lost driver's license or a tossed bank statement can be a start.  Additional information can often be had from the internet or public records office.  Once a thief gets a foothold on your identity he can usually use it to open bank accounts and create additional identification (either counterfeit or from legitimate sources).  It can often take years of effort to clear up the mayhem raised by one skilled criminal.

The College goes to great lengths to protect your personal information - you should, too.  Carefully destroy any unneeded records that contains your personal information and think twice or three times before you give out your personal information on the phone or the web, especially in response to a solicitation.

We occasionally get emails from senders purporting to be banks, online auction services or payment transfer companies asking the recipient to "verify" certain personal information.  These emails look very convincing and may even include pieces of information about the targeted victim like address and phone number.  You should NEVER respond to these messages.  No real company would ever ask you for this information, period.

If you have concerns about an email you receive because you suspect it may be a scam, then it probably is one.  A good resource for information on ID Theft is at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm.

Have an upcoming event?  Let the Call Center know...

The Call Center often gets questions about upcoming College events before public announcements are available.  Help yourself and the Call Center by letting them in on the information as early as you can - send an email to Deb Harkness at harkneda@oneonta.edu.

What our staff is up to

Karl Lehenbauer, Programmer / Analyst for Administrative Computer Services, has recently concluded a project to improve the Campus Directory.  This effort included Andy Martin and Jim Matthews of the Computer Center, plus several volunteers from the user community.  This project modified the directory to draw its data from within Banner rather than from several other sources.  Getting directory data from Banner means that the data will be more accurate, updated information will be available more quickly, and the same data will be available for other purposes like the printing of mailing labels.

Karl is also responsible for supporting Student Accounts, Telecommunications, Human Resources and University Police.  He recently led the implementation of new functionality that permits students to view their bills online and handle bill adjustment and reprocessing without a visit to Student Accounts.

Find yourself at NameConnector

The NameConnector service is handling hundreds of directory queries every day.  You should make sure, though, that people can find you accurately through this service.  Pick up a phone and call 436-3500 - try your own name (both your legal name and any nickname you may go by) to make sure that our system can handle proper pronunciation.  See the NameConnector page at http://www.oneonta.edu/admin/telecomm/speech for more information.

Aerial Images available from New York State

The New York State GIS clearinghouse (http://www.nysgis.state.ny.us/) has thousands of public-domain, high-resolution aerial photos available.

On the left is the north end of campus in a photo taken in the spring of 2001.  At the right is a closeup of the Hunt Union parking lot.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this resource, call Phil Bidwell at 2710.

Changes in Computer Services

Dawn Bookhout, Programmer for Administrative Computer Services, has taken a position with the SICAS center at Lee Hall.  She will be supporting SICAS' work with the financial aid office.

Good luck, Dawn!

If you have a question for Computer and Telecommunication Services about:

Computer Problems or Related Issues - Call the Information Technology Help Desk at     436-4567

Telephone Service or Problems - Call the Office of Telecommunications at 436-2499

Directory Assistance - call 436-3500

Learn more about our automated NameConnector Service