Our records indicate that some IUP students have utilizeed AES/PHEAA as lender of choice.  Please know that this suspension will not affect students' future ability to borrow through the Stafford, PLUS, and/or GradPLUS loan program if otherwise eligible; however, it will require that affected students select a new lender for subsequent loans.  When the next Stafford, PLUS, and/or GradPLUS loan is processed by the Financial Aid Office, AES/PHEAA will send students a new Master Promissory Note (MPN) and a list of lenders from which to choose a new lender.

PHEAA will continue to guaranty, originate and service student loans and administer the State Grant Program and other student aid programs authorized by the General Assembly.

Affected students will receive notice directly from AES/PHEAA but we at IUP wanted to bring this situation to your attention as soon as possible.  Please feel free to contact the Financial Aid Office at 724-357-2218 or AES/PHEAA at 1-800-692-7392 with any concerns.

Identity Theft

How does identity theft happen? Criminals use their access to personal data such as names, telephone numbers,
Social Security Numbers, and bank and credit card information. Using the stolen data, the criminal can
fraudulently obtain credit cards, buy items over the Internet, and even establish cellular phone accounts.
Complaints to the Federal Trade Commission about identity theft have doubled each year since the
Commission began compiling its complaint database. For more information: www.ed.gov/misused

Reduce Your Risk

• Apply for federal student aid by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
• When completing the FAFSA electronically, remember to exit the application and close the browser.
• Keep your U.S. Department of Education (ED) PIN in a secure place. (Get your PIN at www.pin.ed.gov)
• Don’t reveal your PIN to anyone, even if that person is helping you fill out the FAFSA. The only time you should be using our PIN is when you are on ED Web sites, which are secure.
• Review your financial aid award documents and keep track of the amount of aid applied for and awarded.
• Shred receipts and copies of documents with personal information if they are no longer needed.
• Immediately report all lost or stolen identification to the issuer.

How We Keep Your Information Safe

ED cares about the privacy of your personal information.  The information you share with us via our secure
Web sites (e.g., www.fafsa.ed.gov and www.pin.ed.gov) goes through a process called encryption. Encryption
uses a mathematical formula to scramble your data into a format that is unreadable by anyone who might
intercept it. This is how we do our part to keep your information safe—but you need to do yours as well.

Report Identity Theft

If you become a victim of identity theft or suspect that your student information has been stolen, contact: 

U.S. Department of Education
Office of Inspector General Hotline
1-800-MIS-USED (1-800-647-8733)
complain online: www.ed.gov/misused

Federal Trade Commission
1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338)
complain online: www.consumer.gov/idtheft

Social Security Administration
1-800-269-0271
www.ssa.gov

Experian Information Solutions (Formerly TRW)
1-888-397-3742
www.experian.com 

TransUnion Credit Bureau
1-800-680-7289
www.transunion.com

You may:

• File the FAFSA on the web by connecting to www.fafsa.ed.gov
• Request a paper FAFSA by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) or 1-319-337-5665. If you are hearing impaired, please contact the TTY line at 1-800-730-8913.
• Download a copy for mailing or hand submission by following the instructions listed below.

To download a hard copy of the FAFSA you must follow the directions listed below:

1. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov
2. Click on "Student Aid on the Web" (on gray bar at top of screen)
3. This takes you to:  http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/indes.jsp
4. On the right hand side of this screen under "Announcements", click on:  2008-2009 FAFSA Filing Options
5. Under the "Complete a PDF FAFSA" section, click on: pdf either the black and white FAFSA or the color FAFSA.
6. Print, complete and mail required pages to: Federal Student Aid Porgrams, P.O. Box 4692, Mt. Vernon, IL  62864-4692.   Note:  Please make a copy for your records before mailing.