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Home Finance Credit Six Tips to Protect College Students from Identity Theft
Six Tips to Protect College Students from Identity Theft PDF Print E-mail
Written by Daniel Z. Kane   
Sunday, 01 February 2009 09:23
It should really be no surprise that since 2005, more than a third of the victims of identity theft in the United States are college students. That's because students rarely take precautions to protect themselves agains identity theft, because lots of people have potential access to their personal information, and because they are the recipients of a ton of credit card and other commercial junk mailings.
by DanielZ.Kane


It should really be no surprise that since 2005, more than a third of the victims of identity theft in the United States are college students. That's because students rarely take precautions to protect themselves agains identity theft, because lots of people have potential access to their personal information, and because they are the recipients of a ton of credit card and other commercial junk mailings.

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. Purchasing and using a shredder is a must. Shred everything which can identify you before discarding it. Everything...no exceptions.

2. College students generally share housing and live in close proximity to lots of other students. As a result, many people are in and out of their living areas, including people they may not know well. Therefore, to protect against identity theft, students should not leave identifying documents where they can be easily found, and should password protect important information on their computers.

3. Parents, have your son or daughter order a free credit report, and check it for problems. You can get one free report a year, and resolve any problems you identify.

4. Because so many social security numbers and personal files are lost to indentity thieves, students should take steps, in advance, to protect themselves if their confidential information is breached by identity thieves.

5. Opt out of all junk mail, as soon as possible. Identity thieves can steal credit card offers from your mailbox or garbage (if you fail to shred), fill in the applications with your name and their address, and charge thousands of dollars of goods and services to you. It happens every day.

6. Place fraud alerts...they're free...on your personal information. Just contact the 3 major credit bureaus and renew every three months to assure that credit agencies will contact you before opening a new account in your name or changing information...like an address... in a current account. Or, you can hire a credit protection agency, some of which offer monetary guarantees against identity theft, to request and maintain fraud alerts for you.

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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