FAFSA data breach? Multiple seniors with 2005 birth year had identity stolen after filing

This is extremely concerning and unfortunately becoming more common. You need to take these steps immediately:\n\n1. File an identity theft report with the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov\n2. Contact all three credit bureaus to place a fraud alert\n3. File a police report (helpful for documentation)\n4. Contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490\n5. Make sure your son creates a separate login for StudentAid.gov than what you used as a parent\n\nI work in financial aid at a community college, and we've had several students report similar issues this year. The concerning pattern with 2005 birth years suggests a potential data breach somewhere in the system.

Thank you so much for this list. We've already started with the FTC report but didn't know about the IRS specialized unit. Do you know if this will impact his financial aid eligibility? His SAI calculation seemed accurate when we initially submitted, but now I'm worried his aid package will be delayed.

OMG THIS EXACT THING HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER!!!! She's also class of 2025 (May 2005 birthday). We got the IRS letter last week saying someone filed a return in her name and claimed like $7k in income she never earned!!! So frustrating!!! We can't get through to IRS either and now her financial aid is on hold because of \

That's scary how similar your situation is to ours. Have you had any luck getting through to someone at Federal Student Aid? We're coming up on decision deadlines for colleges and I'm worried this will impact his ability to get his aid package finalized in time.

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. This definitely sounds like a potential data breach connected to the FAFSA system. The concentration of cases among 2005-born students is particularly concerning.\n\nI'd recommend contacting your son's intended college's financial aid office directly. They often have dedicated staff who can help navigate these situations and may be able to submit a special circumstances form to ensure his aid package isn't delayed.\n\nRegarding the IRS issue, I'd suggest using Claimyr (claimyr.com) to get through to an IRS agent. It's a service that helps you skip the phone queues - I used it recently when dealing with a verification issue and got through in about 15 minutes instead of waiting for days. They have a video demo showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ\n\nIn the meantime, be sure to check if your son's SAI score has changed suddenly on the StudentAid.gov portal, as that could indicate someone has accessed and modified his application.

Thank you for the tip about Claimyr - I've never heard of it but at this point I'll try anything to get through to a real person. I'll also call the financial aid office tomorrow. I've been checking his StudentAid.gov account daily and so far the SAI hasn't changed, but I'm still worried.

This happened to my nephew too (also a 2005 baby)!! His parents are freaking out because they also can't get through to anyone. Our family thinks it might be related to that FAFSA glitch from January when the system was down for like 2 weeks? Maybe hackers got in during that time? Idk how this stuff works but it seems like way too many cases to be a coincidence.

That's actually a really good point about the system outage. I remember reading that they rushed to fix some \

wait does this mean we shouldnt apply for fafsa??? my sister is a junior (2006) and will be applying next year. should we just skip it??? we really need the financial aid but not if its gonna get her identity stolen!!!!

No, you shouldn't skip the FAFSA. The vast majority of students apply without issues, and the FAFSA is essential for accessing not just federal aid but also most state and institutional aid. \n\nInstead, take preventative measures: \n- Use unique, strong passwords for the StudentAid.gov account\n- Enable two-factor authentication if available\n- Check credit reports regularly\n- Consider freezing your sister's credit until she actually needs it\n- Use a separate email address just for financial aid applications\n\nMissing out on thousands in potential aid is a guaranteed loss, while identity theft is a manageable risk with proper precautions.

I contacted StudentAid.gov about this exact issue last week after my daughter (born Jan 2005) had her identity stolen. They claimed there was \

That's really helpful! I'm going to follow these exact steps. Did your daughter's college require any specific documentation beyond the Identity Theft Affidavit? And how long did it take them to process the manual review?

Of COURSE the government can't secure our kids' data. They can't do anything right. I've been saying for years that FAFSA collects way too much personal information. Why do they need our entire tax returns??? My son applied this year and got almost no aid anyway despite all the invasive questions. Now I have to worry about his SSN being compromised too. Just great.

I KNOW RIGHT?? They make us upload ALL this sensitive info and then *surprised pikachu face* when it gets stolen! And have you noticed they NEVER admit when they've been hacked? Always

my cousin works in cybersecurity and he says that birthdate patterns like this (all 2005) usually means the hack was targeting a specific database query or export. like maybe someone pulled a report of all current HS seniors for some legitimate reason but then that file got stolen or leaked. just his theory but makes sense to me

That's a really interesting point. It would explain why it's so specifically targeting one birth year. I'm copying this theory to include in my letter to the FSA ombudsman - I've started documenting everything in case we need to escalate this further.

UPDATE: I finally got through to someone at the Federal Student Aid office today! Here's what they told me:\n\n1. They are \

Thank you for sharing this update! It's good to hear they're at least acknowledging the reports and expediting verification cases. Did they provide any timeline for resolving these issues or a dedicated contact person for follow-up?

Great progress! How did you finally manage to get through to them? I'm still hearing from families who can't reach anyone after trying for weeks.

I'm so sorry this happened to your son and it's alarming how many families are experiencing the same issue with 2005-born students. As a newcomer to this community, I've been reading through all these responses and I'm really grateful everyone is sharing their experiences and solutions. I wanted to add that if you're still having trouble getting through to the IRS, you might also try calling early in the morning (around 7 AM local time) when they first open - that's when call volumes are typically lowest. Also, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (1-877-777-4778) can sometimes help expedite identity theft cases when regular channels aren't working. For anyone else reading this thread, it might be worth checking if your state has additional identity theft resources. Some states have their own victim assistance programs that can help coordinate between federal agencies and provide additional documentation that colleges might accept. Stay strong - it sounds like you're taking all the right steps and advocating well for your son!