Six Tips to Protect College Students from Identity Theft
You might think that identity thieves focus entirely on the wealthy, but the reality is that 34% of the victims of identity theft are college students. College students can be easy prey because they don't know how to protect themselves against identity theft, because so many records and documents include personal information about them, and because of the phenomenal amount of junk mail offers...especially from credit card companies...they receive.
Todd Davis, the CEO of LifeLock, the nation's first identity theft prevention service for consumers, offered us these tips for parents and college-bound students to help protect them from becoming victims of identity thieves.
1. Before going off to campus, students should purchase a shredder and use it to destroy anything they may throw away that contains personal information about tem; report cards, financial aid forms, housing information, class schedules, etc. A good rule for students: if you aren't going to keep it in a secure file, shred it!
2. Most students have at least one roommate. They and their roommate(s) frequently bring lots of people into their living areas. And, many others generally live in close proximity. Everyone wants to trust the people around us, but residing in an apartment or dormitory puts us among folks we don't really know. Therefore, it's smart to limit the information left out in the open or on a computer.
3. Students should request and review their credit reports each and every year. They can get one report a year at no cost, and identify any existing or potential credit-related problems they may have.
4. In the most recent three years, more than two hundred universities, colleges, school districts and student lending organizations have lost personal information on nearly 9 million students, faculty, and staff. Despite increases in institutional security, social security numbers and other critical identifiers are lost or stolen at a steady pace. Thus, it makes sense to take steps to make sure you have protected your identity in the event your information becomes vulnerable to identity thieves.
5. Get yourself taken off of all mailing lists, especially those offering credit cards and merchandise. It is incredibly easy for thieves to steal these mailings from your mailbox or your trash and fill them out so they get the credit cards and/or merchandise and you get the bills and the angry creditors. Of course, using a shredder will prevent theft from your trash and a lock on your mailbox will offer you some degree of security.
6. You can contact the major credit reporting services to initiate fraud alerts which means you will, at least in theory, be contacted before anyone is able to open a new account in your name. You must renew these alerts every 90 days, or you can hire a credit protection service to take care of it for you. Some such agencies will actually compensate you if anyone successfully steals your identity. One agency offers a guarantee of up to $1 million.
Taking a bit of time and exercising some caution to prevent identity theft is well worth the effort. Protect yourself by being cautious, aware, and alert.
Todd Davis, the CEO of LifeLock, the nation's first identity theft prevention service for consumers, offered us these tips for parents and college-bound students to help protect them from becoming victims of identity thieves.
1. Before going off to campus, students should purchase a shredder and use it to destroy anything they may throw away that contains personal information about tem; report cards, financial aid forms, housing information, class schedules, etc. A good rule for students: if you aren't going to keep it in a secure file, shred it!
2. Most students have at least one roommate. They and their roommate(s) frequently bring lots of people into their living areas. And, many others generally live in close proximity. Everyone wants to trust the people around us, but residing in an apartment or dormitory puts us among folks we don't really know. Therefore, it's smart to limit the information left out in the open or on a computer.
3. Students should request and review their credit reports each and every year. They can get one report a year at no cost, and identify any existing or potential credit-related problems they may have.
4. In the most recent three years, more than two hundred universities, colleges, school districts and student lending organizations have lost personal information on nearly 9 million students, faculty, and staff. Despite increases in institutional security, social security numbers and other critical identifiers are lost or stolen at a steady pace. Thus, it makes sense to take steps to make sure you have protected your identity in the event your information becomes vulnerable to identity thieves.
5. Get yourself taken off of all mailing lists, especially those offering credit cards and merchandise. It is incredibly easy for thieves to steal these mailings from your mailbox or your trash and fill them out so they get the credit cards and/or merchandise and you get the bills and the angry creditors. Of course, using a shredder will prevent theft from your trash and a lock on your mailbox will offer you some degree of security.
6. You can contact the major credit reporting services to initiate fraud alerts which means you will, at least in theory, be contacted before anyone is able to open a new account in your name. You must renew these alerts every 90 days, or you can hire a credit protection service to take care of it for you. Some such agencies will actually compensate you if anyone successfully steals your identity. One agency offers a guarantee of up to $1 million.
Taking a bit of time and exercising some caution to prevent identity theft is well worth the effort. Protect yourself by being cautious, aware, and alert.
About the Author:
Daniel Z. Kane is a university dean who advises students on online college degree programs and online degree programs.
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