More than 90,000 members of the class-action lawsuit over data breaches in the University of Hawaii system between 2009 and 2011 have until May 1 to register for free credit monitoring and identity-theft restoration services.
As of a little more than a week ago, more than 6,000 people had signed up for the services, said Bruce Sherman, an attorney involved in the class action.
"We’d like to have as many people as possible," he said.
The free services being offered by the university are part of a settlement in the federal class-action lawsuit that was given final court approval on April 11.
The lawsuit was over five reported data breaches between 2009 and 2011.
The credit monitoring and fraud restoration services, provided by Kroll Background America Inc., are being provided for two years to potentially 98,000 people, including university system students, faculty, alumni and employees.
Credit monitoring and restoration services usually range in cost from $5 to $20 a month if purchased individually, the plaintiff attorney said.
The breaches occurred at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, Kapiolani Community College and Honolulu Community College.
Laurie Hirohata, a university alumna and former faculty member, said she’s signed up for the services.
But Hirohata said she is still worried about future breaches in the system due to human error.
"How do you protect us in the future?" she asked.
Those who are unsure about registering or are uncertain whether they are a member of the class action and did not receive a membership ID in the mail, should make inquiries to 855-205-6935 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Time, according to the university.
More information may be obtained at www.UHdatabreachlawsuit.com.
