Data Security Incident Notice

Wilkes University Notifies Wilkes Community of Data Security Incident

October 8, 2025, Wilkes, Barre, Pennsylvania – The privacy and security of the personal information we maintain is of the utmost importance to Wilkes University (“Wilkes”).

Wilkes recently discovered that an unauthorized actor may have gained access to our network environment. Upon learning of this issue, we immediately worked to contain the threat and secure our internal environment. We commenced a prompt and thorough investigation into the incident and worked very closely with external cybersecurity professionals experienced in handling these types of situations to help determine whether any personal or sensitive data, if any, was involved.

After an extensive forensic investigation and manual document review, we discovered on September 22, 2025 that the impacted systems, which were accessed between on or about January 25, 2025 and on or about January 26, 2025, contained some individuals’ personal information. The personal information varies by individual and may include individuals’ full name, address, date of birth, student ID number, Social Security number, driver’s license number or state identification number, financial account number, financial aid information, health insurance policy number, and/or medical alert information.

Out of an abundance of caution, commencing on October 8, 2025, Wilkes notified individuals whose information may have been included in the files accessed by the unauthorized party. Notified individuals have been provided with best practices to protect their information, and individuals whose Social Security numbers were contained in the impacted files have been offered complimentary credit monitoring.

Wilkes is committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information in our possession and have taken many precautions to safeguard it. Wilkes continually evaluates and modifies its practices and internal controls to enhance the security and privacy of the personal information it maintains.

If you have any further questions regarding this incident, please call our dedicated and confidential toll-free response line that we have set up to respond to questions at 833-855-4189. This response line is staffed with professionals familiar with this incident and knowledgeable on what you can do to protect against misuse of your information. The response line is available Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, excluding US holidays.

 

Other Important Information

Placing a Fraud Alert on Your Credit File.

You may place an initial one-year “Fraud Alert” on your credit files, at no charge. A fraud alert tells creditors to contact you personally before they open any new accounts. To place a fraud alert, call any one of the three major credit bureaus at the numbers listed below. As soon as one credit bureau confirms your fraud alert, they will notify the others.

Consider Placing a Security Freeze on Your Credit File

If you are very concerned about becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft, you may request a “Security Freeze” be placed on your credit file, at no charge. A security freeze prohibits, with certain specific exceptions, the consumer reporting agencies from releasing your credit report or any information from it without your express authorization. You may place a security freeze on your credit report by contacting nationwide credit reporting companies at the numbers below and following the stated directions or by sending a request in writing, by mail, to all three credit reporting companies:

In order to place the security freeze, you’ll need to supply your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number and other personal information. After receiving your freeze request, each credit reporting company will send you a confirmation letter containing a unique PIN (personal identification number) or password. Keep the PIN or password in a safe place. You will need it if you choose to lift the freeze.

If your personal information has been used to file a false tax return, to open an account or to attempt to open an account in your name or to commit fraud or other crimes against you, you may file a police report in the City in which you currently reside.

Obtaining a Free Credit Report

Under federal law, you are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months from each of the above three major nationwide credit reporting companies. Call 1-877-322-8228 or request your free credit reports online at www.annualcreditreport.com external website. Once you receive your credit reports, review them for discrepancies. Identify any accounts you did not open or inquiries from creditors that you did not authorize. Verify all information is correct. If you have questions or notice incorrect information, contact the credit reporting company.

Additional Helpful Resources

Even if you do not find any suspicious activity on your initial credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends that you check your credit reports periodically. Checking your credit report periodically can help you spot problems and address them quickly.

If you find suspicious activity on your credit reports or have reason to believe your information is being misused, call your local law enforcement agency and file a police report. Be sure to obtain a copy of the police report, as many creditors will want the information it contains to absolve you of the fraudulent debts. You may also file a complaint with the FTC by contacting them on the web at www.ftc.gov/idtheft, by phone at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338), or by mail at Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Response Center, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Your complaint will be added to the FTC’s Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse, where it will be accessible to law enforcement for their investigations. In addition, you may obtain information from the FTC about fraud alerts and security freezes.

If this notice letter states that your financial account information and/or credit or debit card information was impacted, we recommend that you contact your financial institution to inquire about steps to take to protect your account, including whether you should close your account or obtain a new account number.

Protecting Your Medical Information

We have no information to date indicating that your medical information involved in this incident was or will be used for any unintended purposes. As a general matter, however, the following practices can help to protect you from medical identity theft.

• Only share your health insurance cards with your health care providers and other family members who are covered under your insurance plan or who help you with your medical care.
• Review your “explanation of benefits statement” which you receive from your health insurance company. Follow up with your insurance company or care provider for any items you do not recognize. If necessary, contact the care provider on the explanation of benefits statement and ask for copies of medical records from the date of the potential access (noted above) to current date.
• Ask your insurance company for a current year-to-date report of all services paid for you as a beneficiary. Follow up with your insurance company or the care provider for any items you do not recognize.

California Residents

Visit the California Office of Privacy Protection (www.oag.ca.gov/privacy external website) for additional information on protection against identity theft.

Iowa Residents

You may contact law enforcement or the Iowa Attorney General’s Office to report suspected incidents of identity Theft:

Maryland Residents

You may obtain information about avoiding identity theft from the Maryland Attorney General’s Office:

Massachusetts Residents

Under Massachusetts law, you have the right to obtain a police report in regard to this incident. If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it.

New York Residents

You may obtain information about preventing identity theft from the New York Attorney General’s Office:

North Carolina Residents

You may obtain information about preventing identity theft from the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office:

Oregon Residents

You may obtain information about preventing identity theft from the Oregon Attorney General’s Office:

Washington D.C. Residents

You may obtain information about preventing identity theft from the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia:

New Mexico Residents

You have rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). These include, among others, the right to know what is in your file; to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information; and to have consumer reporting agencies correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information. For more information about the FCRA, please visit www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf (.pdf) or www.ftc.gov external website.

In addition, New Mexico consumers Have the right to obtain a Security Freeze or Submit a Declaration of Removal.

As noted above, you may obtain a security freeze on your credit report to protect your privacy and ensure that credit is not granted in your name without your knowledge. You may submit a declaration of removal to remove information placed in your credit report as a result of being a victim of identity theft. You have a right to place a security freeze on your credit report or submit a declaration of removal pursuant to the Fair Credit Reporting and Identity Security Act.

The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. When you place a security freeze on your credit report, you will be provided with a personal identification number, password, or similar device to use if you choose to remove the freeze on your credit report or to temporarily authorize the release of your credit report to a specific party or parties or for a specific period of time after the freeze is in place. To remove the freeze or to provide authorization for the temporary release of your credit report, you must contact the consumer reporting agency and provide all of the following:

1. The unique personal identification number, password, or similar device provided by the consumer reporting agency;
2. Proper identification to verify your identity; and
3. Information regarding the third party or parties who are to receive the credit report or the period of time for which the credit report may be released to users of the credit report.

A consumer reporting agency that receives a request from a consumer to lift temporarily a freeze on a credit report shall comply with the request no later than three business days after receiving the request. As of September 1, 2008, a consumer reporting agency shall comply with the request within fifteen minutes of receiving the request by a secure electronic method or by telephone.

A security freeze does not apply in all circumstances, such as where you have an existing account relationship and a copy of your credit report is requested by your existing creditor or its agents for certain types of account review, collection, fraud control, or similar activities; for use in setting or adjusting an insurance rate or claim or insurance underwriting; for certain governmental purposes; and for purposes of prescreening as defined in the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act.

If you are actively seeking a new credit, loan, utility, telephone, or insurance account, you should understand that the procedures involved in lifting a security freeze may slow your own applications for credit. You should plan ahead and lift a freeze, either completely if you are shopping around or specifically for a certain creditor, with enough advance notice before you apply for new credit for the lifting to take effect. You should contact a consumer reporting agency and request it to lift the freeze at least three business days before applying. As of September 1, 2008, if you contact a consumer reporting agency by a secure electronic method or by telephone, the consumer reporting agency should lift the freeze within fifteen minutes. You have a right to bring a civil action against a consumer reporting agency that violates your rights under the Fair Credit Reporting and Identity Security Act.

To place a security freeze on your credit report, you must send a request to each of the three major consumer reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You may contact these agencies using the contact information provided above.

Rhode Island Residents

You may contact law enforcement, such as the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office, to report incidents of identity theft or to learn about steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft. You can contact the Rhode Island Attorney General at:

As noted above, you may obtain a security freeze on your credit report to protect your privacy and ensure that credit is not granted in your name without your knowledge. You have a right to place a “security freeze” on your credit report pursuant to chapter 48 of title 6 of the Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2006.

The security freeze is designed to prevent credit, loans, and services from being approved in your name without your consent. When you place a security freeze on your credit report, within five (5) business days you will be provided a personal identification number or password to use if you choose to remove the freeze on your credit report or to temporarily authorize the release of your credit report for a specific period of time after the freeze is in place. To provide that authorization, you must contact the consumer reporting agency and provide all of the following:

1. The unique personal identification number or password provided by the consumer reporting agency.
2. Proper identification to verify your identity.
3. The proper information regarding the period of time for which the report shall be available to users of the credit report.

A consumer reporting agency that receives a request from a consumer to temporarily lift a freeze on a credit report shall comply with the request no later than three (3) business days after receiving the request.

A security freeze does not apply to circumstances where you have an existing account relationship and a copy of your report is requested by your existing creditor or its agents or affiliates for certain types of an account review, collection, fraud control, or similar activities.

If you are actively seeking a new credit, loan, utility, telephone, or insurance account, you should understand that the procedures involved in lifting a security freeze may slow your own applications for credit. You should plan ahead and lift a freeze -- either completely, if you are shopping around, or specifically for a certain creditor -- with enough advance notice before you apply for new credit for the lifting to take effect.

You have a right to bring a civil action against someone who violates your rights under the credit reporting laws. The action can be brought against a consumer reporting agency or a user of your credit report.

To place a security freeze on your credit report, you must send a request to each of the three major consumer reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. These agencies can be contacted using the contact information provided above.

In order to request a security freeze, you may need to provide the following information:

1. Your full name (including middle initial as well as Jr., Sr., II, III, etc.);
2. Social Security number;
3. Date of birth;
4. Complete address;
5. Prior addresses;
6. Proof(s) of identification (state driver’s license or ID card, military identification, birth certificate, etc.);
7. If you are a victim of identity theft, a copy of either the police report, investigative report, or complaint to a law enforcement agency concerning identity theft.