Six Tips to Protect College Students from Identity Theft

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Six Tips to Protect College Students from Identity Theft

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.

To protect themselves against identity theft, students and parents can use these tips, offered by LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. LifeLock is the nation's first identity theft prevention service for individual consumers.

1. Buy and use a shredder. Never throw away anything that has your name, address, or other indentifying information without shredding it first.

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.

Identity thieves are persistent. They are constantly attempting to acquire the confidential information they need to assume your identity, but if you are vigilant and if you take some simple steps to protect yourself, you are far less likely to become one of their victims.

Article Source: Credit Card Bad Credit People

About the Author

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

Author: DanielZ.Kane Total views: 3 Word Count: 523

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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. 
To protect themselves against identity theft, students and parents can use these tips, offered by LifeLock CEO Todd Davis. LifeLock is the nation's first identity theft prevention service for individual consumers. 
1. Buy and use a shredder. Never throw away anything that has your name, address, or other indentifying information without shredding it first. 
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. 
Identity thieves are persistent. They are constantly attempting to acquire the confidential information they need to assume your identity, but if you are vigilant and if you take some simple steps to protect yourself, you are far less likely to become one of their victims. Article Source: <a href="http://www.allbestarticles.com" target="_blank">Credit Card Bad Credit People</a> About the Author: Daniel Z. Kane is a university dean who advises students on <a href="http://www.online-degrees-and-scholarships.com">online college</a> degree programs and <a href="http://www.college-scholarships.com/ssac.htm">online degree</a> programs.