On Jan. 26, the University Police Department arrested Edward Coleman — an employee of apartment complex the Hub — for identity theft, among other charges, Division of Public Safety spokeswoman Stef Cella confirmed.
Although the investigation is still underway, it is suspected that Coleman’s crimes may have compromised the private information of residents of the Hub — located at 40th and Chestnut streets — many of whom are Penn students.
According to a notification slipped under residents’ apartment doors on Monday, a search of Coleman’s residence prompted concerns that the identity of residents may have been stolen.
In the notification, residents were urged to contact a credit bureau to check for ghost credit card purchases and mystery addresses that may indicate fraud. The release detailed actions the Hub’s residents might pursue to “prevent further damage” and urged residents to exercise “caution” at this time.
The notification also advised residents to contact DPS to clear up any questions.
College sophomore Shivani Srivastav, who lives in the Hub, was not too concerned after seeing the notification.
“My first reaction was: ‘good thing I don’t have a credit card, just a debit card,’” Srivastav said. “But I was also glad he got arrested and was found befo re bigger stuff happened.”
She added that her feeling of security at the Hub hasn’t changed since information was provided on how to quickly check credit card history.
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