Workers at the University of Northern Colorado have good reason to be alarmed. Someone stole the hard drive from the University’s computer that contained the personal information of more than 15,000 University employees

The missing hard drive, described as “easily removable,” is the subject of an intense investigation by university police. It is not a normal computer hard drive, but can be plugged into a computer as a type of back-up system, and information can be removed easily. University officials described the hard drive as the size of a flat, medium-sized notebook. The hard drive contains information on all employees dating back to April 1997, including the employees’ full names, Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, addresses, dates of birth and pay schedules. The employees include full-time, part-time and student employees.

Although there is no evidence the information has been used inappropriately, the University recommends employees take the following steps:

  • Contact banks and monitor accounts
  • Put a fraud alert on your credit report by calling, Equifax (800) 525-6285, Experian (888) 397-3742, TransUnion (800) 680-7289.

If have any information on the missing hard drive, call (970) 353-2847.