De Anza College announced Thursday that thousands of former students might be at risk for identity fraud after an instructor's laptop computer, containing students' personal information, was stolen last month.
The Cupertino community college is attempting to contact 4,375 students and former students of the mathematics instructor to inform them that their personal information may be at risk. The computer contained the students' names, addresses, grades and in many cases Social Security numbers.
"Probably the bulk of them are Social Security numbers," said Foothill-De Anza Community College District spokeswoman Becky Bartindale.
The computer was stolen from the instructor's home on Aug. 24 and reported to the college on Aug. 27.
College officials have sent letters and e-mails to the affected students but some may have not received word yet because they moved or changed email addresses, according to Bartindale.
The college has not released the instructor's identity.
Anyone who took a mathematics class at De Anza between 1991 and 2003 and from 2005 through this year can contact De Anza's Dean of Admissions & Records Kathleen Moberg at mobergkathleenfhda.edu or 408-864-8292 to learn if their information was contained on the stolen laptop.
The theft is under investigation by local police.