Broome Community College Mails Social Security Numbers

Until the process of identity theft became as common as it is now, many colleges used social security numbers for student ID numbers.

This former practice has risen from the past when Broome Community College failed to remove the identifying social security numbers from their 2009 winter/spring magazine that was mailed to almost 30,000 former students. The social security numbers were printed on the back of the magazine with the student’s name and address. With all these magazines circulating around it is imperative that students look in to identity theft protection.

The practice of using social security numbers for student IDs was stopped by the college in 2004. Since then, alternative numbers were used to identify and verify students and home addresses.

At this time, there have been no notifications that these numbers were used inappropriately. Even so, the college is urging all alumni to watch their credit accounts closely for unusual activity on their accounts, especially after a similar error occurred less than a year ago when an email containing social security numbers of other students was sent by accident to hundreds of campus students.