Every fall, as millions of students get ready to head off to college identity thieves lie in wait for them. Already significant targets, college students comprised more than a third of all identity theft victims last year. Identity thieves frequently target college students because they seldom take protective steps, because of the large number of individuals with access to their personal information, and because an increasingly aggressive credit card industry bombards them with free offers and easy-to-obtain credit cards.
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...college students won't order or check credit reports. So, do it for them. Before the first semester starts, parents should have their students order free credit reports to be sent to their homes. Parents can then check the reports for accuracy and identify any potential problems. Major credit bureaus are required by law to give consumers one free credit report a year. If you discover a problem on a credit report, investigate further. Be aware that checking your credit report won't prevent thieves from opening new accounts in your name, but it is a good start.
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. Reduce your junk mail. All of us have mailboxes jammed with offers for credit cards, instant credit, and merchandise. Opt out of these and other junk mail and pre-approved credit card offers. Identity thieves can steal these offers from your mailbox or trash (remember the shredder). Then, in a matter of minutes, they fill out those applications, change your address to theirs, and subsequently charge their purchases to you.
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.
Identity thieves are frequently aggressive and clever, and they like to target college students for reasons we've already touched on. But, a few simple precautions and a little common sense can go a long way in protecting you from them.
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...college students won't order or check credit reports. So, do it for them. Before the first semester starts, parents should have their students order free credit reports to be sent to their homes. Parents can then check the reports for accuracy and identify any potential problems. Major credit bureaus are required by law to give consumers one free credit report a year. If you discover a problem on a credit report, investigate further. Be aware that checking your credit report won't prevent thieves from opening new accounts in your name, but it is a good start.
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. Reduce your junk mail. All of us have mailboxes jammed with offers for credit cards, instant credit, and merchandise. Opt out of these and other junk mail and pre-approved credit card offers. Identity thieves can steal these offers from your mailbox or trash (remember the shredder). Then, in a matter of minutes, they fill out those applications, change your address to theirs, and subsequently charge their purchases to you.
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.
Identity thieves are frequently aggressive and clever, and they like to target college students for reasons we've already touched on. But, a few simple precautions and a little common sense can go a long way in protecting you from them.
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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