By Bailey Campagna and Grace Rogers —

U of L will give its employees hard copies of their W-2 tax forms this year following last year’s detection of suspicious activity on as many 750 employee accounts.

An April 2017 press release from human resources said the hack affected the W2 Express website backed by Equifax.

Equifax contacted each of the affected employees out of caution and provided assistance and credit monitoring services. Fewer than 50 cases of fraudulent activity had been confirmed by the date of the release.

After this attack on employee data, the University of Louisville will no longer be using W2 Express to provide employee’s documentation. W-2s will instead be mailed to employees by Jan. 31.

University spokesperson John Karman said administrators feel issuing physical copies of the forms will better protect employee’s sensitive data.

Interim Chief Operating Officer Lee Smith, announced to employees Jan. 19 W-2’s will still be available electronically, but not through the Equifax site.

“If you have previously filed a consent to receive your W-2 only electronically or online, this service is not available for 2017 Tax Information. Electronic copies (in addition to the printed version) will be available on January 30, 2018 through ULink for all active employees,” Smith said.

According to Smith, employees who choose to view W-2s online will need to register for an authentication system.

“U of L encourages you to always safeguard your personal information, review your financial records carefully, and report any unauthorized or fraudulent activity to the University of Louisville Police Department,” Smith said.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal