Real Estate Investment Articles

College students at high risk for identity theft

By: Matt McNamara

The commercials from Citibank are Emmy-winning: a victim of identity theft voiced-over by the perpetrator who stole who they are.

The only problem with these commercials is that the victim is usually an adult, typically in their 50s. The truth is that the greatest age demographic (at 28 percent) is those in their thirties, and just slightly less than that (at 26 percent) are those between 19 and 29—college-aged adults—according to a 2002 Federal Trade Commission report.

College students are easier targets due to their complete integration and trust in the Internet. Many students using social networking sites like Facebook or Myspace have in plain view their telephone number, home/school addresses, and birthdays. Many people do not know that all that is necessary to file a Change of Address form at the USPS is a name, the old address and where the mail should now go.

To best protect yourself from identity theft, make sure that anything that contains your mailing address, or more importantly your social security number, is shredded or indecipherable before disposing of it.

CompUSA and the National Crime Prevention Council each recently released some tips for college students in preventing identity theft.

Beware of “phishing” attempts, which are emails that are presented as coming from a legitimate organization, but are really just traps for your personal information. Never click a link in an e-mail—always type out the address manually if it is for anything important, such as your bank, credit card company, or for Internet services like eBay or Amazon.

Additionally, be wary of having your laptop or desktop computer automatically log you in to Web sites like the above. Use secure passwords to protect your laptop, and consider having it automatically password protect itself when it goes to the screen saver. Laptops are easy targets for theft, especially in public places like the library or a cafe or restaurant.

Students at UD should also practice ways of protecting their identity by keeping safe their Campus OneCards, said Margie Poeppelman, manager of the Campus OneCard office.

If you have misplaced your Campus OneCard during business hours, you should call the Campus One office at x92456 and they will be able to put a block on your card for free that will prevent door access and access to your Flyer account and any meal plan that you have, Poeppelman said.

After business hours, you can also place the block on your account at any dining location (KU, VWK, Marycrest or the Emporium). After midnight, you can also call Public Safety to put the block on your account. An account freeze is free and should be done as soon as possible to minimize negative effects. Should you lose your card after business hours, the dining locations can give you a temporary meal card that will allow you to still use your meal plans until the next business day.

People who suspect that they have become victimized by identity theft should report the situation as soon as possible to the police and to one of the three major credit bureaus—Equifax (Equifax.com), Experian (Experian.com), or TransUnion (Transunion.com).

The National Crime Prevention Council also suggests filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (consumer.gov/idtheft) and placing a fraud alert on your credit account, which requires your specific permission (with verification of identity) to view or modify your account.

Source:
http://www.flyernews.com/article.php?section=News&volume=54&issue=2&artnum=03

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