DENVER -- Metropolitan State College of Denver has announced that a stolen computer could put thousands of current and former students at risk of identity theft.

The laptop contained a file that had the names and Social Security numbers of more than 93,000 students enrolled from the fall semester of 1996 through summer of 2005.

The school said the laptop was stolen the home of a Metro State employee on Saturday.

The thief took two bags from the home of an admissions office employee: one containing the computer and another containing books. The data might have been deleted from the computer before it was taken, said Metro State President Stephen Jordan.

The college said it is working to notify anyone whose personal information was on the computer.

However, by Thursday, there was no evidence that information from the computer had been misused, Jordan said.

Students at Metro State's sister institutions -- Community College of Denver and University of Colorado at Denver -- also could be at risk of identity theft if they enrolled for classes directly through Metro State, Jordan said.

Officials held an open forum for students Thursday morning. Another was scheduled for Monday.

"I think it's safe to say that there was a significant level of anxiety and concern on this incident and if this can occur again," Jordan said.

The employee was using the file for a study on behalf of the provost's office for a federal grant, Jordan said.

"The Social Security numbers were used to identify and track individual students and access historical information regarding these students," the school said in a statement on its Web page.

The college is trying to contact students who are on the list and has also set up a hot line and a Web site on its home page. It is also urging them to consider a fraud alert on their credit reports.

Jordan said the school is fully cooperating with the Denver Police Department's investigation. The school has also contacted the offices of the attorney general, governor, and the state's information system.

Additional Info:

If you registered for a class at Metropolitan State College of Denver between Fall of 1996 and Summer of 2005, call 1-866-737-6622 . A representative from MySafeCampus.com will take your report.
Read Metro State's Alert