Identity theft happens when someone uses your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in a fraudulent manner without your permission. Financial aid-related identity theft happens when someone uses your PII without your knowledge or permission to get admitted, enroll in courses, and gain access to grants, scholarships, benefits, and/or loans administered at a postsecondary institution.

Warning Signs

You may not know that you are a victim of financial aid-related identity theft until long after your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) was used without your permission. Know the warning signs:

• You receive notification of a delinquent loan from a Department of Education loan servicer, referencing student loans that you did not apply for.
• You receive notification from the Department of Education stating that you owe money for a federal student aid “overpayment" related to financial aid you did not receive.
• You receive notification of an unpaid debt from a collection agency, for debt you did not incur.
• You receive notification from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) stating that your wages or tax refund will be garnished.
• You cannot complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) because of a duplicate Social Security number.
• You cannot complete an Admissions Application for a Maricopa Community College because of a duplicate Social Security number.
• Your credit report indicates that you owe money to a postsecondary institution that you did not attend.
• Your credit report indicates that you owe money for student loans that you did not apply for.

Take Immediate Action

If your PII has been used for unauthorized activity at any Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), take the following action:

Step 1

File a Police Report to report the crime. Contact your local county or city law enforcement jurisdiction and file a police report for the theft of your Personally Identifiable Information (PII).

• Obtain a copy of the policy report number and request a copy of the report for your records.
• You may be required to complete an identity theft packet.

Step 2

Contact Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) Police Department at 480-784-0900 to file a separate police report specifically for the financial aid-related fraud incident and request a copy for your records.

• You will need to provide the police report number from your police jurisdiction.

Step 3

Contact the MCCCD Fraud Prevention and Quality Assurance team at 480-784-0500 or via email qualityassurance@domail.maricopa.edu to file a claim.

• A claim consists of completing an MCCCD verification packet and providing personal identifying documents to complete the process.
• Please be patient when waiting for response(s) during this verification process, as it can be time consuming.

Step 4

Obtain a copy of your credit report from 1 or all 3 Credit Reporting Agencies (CRAs) listed below:

• Equifax: www.Equifax.com/CreditReportAssistance, 1-888-766-0008
• Experian: www.Experian.com/fraudalert, 1-888-397-3742
• TransUnion: www.TransUnion.com/fraud, 1-800-680-7289

Step 5

File a claim with the Federal Trade Commission at www.identitytheft.gov AND report the incident to any additional appropriate regulatory authorities.

• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General at 1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733), oig.ed.gov/oig-hotline
• Internal Revenue Service (IRS): www.irs.gov
• U.S. Postal Inspectors: www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention/identity-theft
• Internet Crime Complaint Center (Federal Bureau of Investigation): www.ic3.gov
• AZ Attorney General: www.azag.gov/consumer/data-breach/identity-theft
• State and Local Officials: www.usa.gov/identity-theft

Step 6

At the end of the verification process (or during), you may obtain a copy of the MCCCD Police report by completing a records request form via police.maricopa.edu/general-information/request-report.