College Students: Avoid 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. 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. 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. Have free fraud alerts placed on personal information. Fraud alerts, offered by the major credit bureaus at no cost, mean that credit agencies will contact you directly to get your approval whenever someone tries to open a new credit account in your name or change your address. Thus, even if a thief manages to obtain your information, you can potentially stop him or her from opening new a new account or making an address change on an existing one. You can request fraud alerts yourself, but you must renew them several times a year, and they can fail if the creditors don?t make the call (as they are supposed to). Paying a company a small monthly fee to take care of the fraud alerts for you may be a good option, especially if the company offers you an identity theft guarantee.

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.

Article Source: http://www.articles.com.mx

Daniel Z. Kane is a university dean who advises students on online college degree programs and online degree programs.

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