Student 4 Life

Talk to Your College Aged Kids About Preventing Identity Theft

Posted by: scholar lee at September 19th, 2007

I know, it has been a while. Beginning of school and kids to send off, etc. I know that the previous post was related to this subject, but it bears repeating again and then I will move on to something a little lighter.

Fighting a recent incident of identity theft among one of the adults in the family, I thought about how many of us see our young adults off to a new year of education without really impressing upon them the importance of protecting their personal information. So here goes….

When we send our kids off to college, we usually advise them about safety issues since for many, this will be their first time away from home. We hope they have listened all these years about protecting themselves at night, locking their doors, keeping valuables out of sight in the car, etc. The one thing many parents do not stress enough to their college aged kids, is the importance of protecting their personal information.

Identity theft is one of the most prevalent crimes in the United States (the entire world for that matter) today. College students tend to overlook the threat of identity theft, since their funds are usually limited after paying for school costs and living expenses. They need to know that it may not be the cash that they are after, but the personal information.

The goal of an identity theif is to take advantage of people with a good credit rating and use their identity to gain money or goods fraudulently. All they need is the right information from you such as social security number, date of birth, account numbers, driver’s license, credit card number, whatever. They particularly like college students, since their credit records are usually a clean slate for them to build upon.

Identity theft can affect your credit rating, criminal record, ability to get loans, and even jeopardize your job opportunities. So what should college students do to avoid identity theft? For starters, use some common sense and make your sensitive information inaccessible. Consider the following:

Keep your personal documents such as bank statements, credit card bills, or anything else containing information about you in a locked filing cabinet, or lock box. Never leave papers out for roving eyes.

Try not to let your roommates see where you store your valuables. Disappointing yes, but the fact is that the majority of college identity theft victims know the perpetrator.

Destroy all credit card offers before throwing them away. A shredder would be a wise investment.

Know your credit card and bank account balances - check them often for unusual activity.

When using the internet, make sure you have a secure connection and your firewall is on. Always log out of a web site when finished and do not just close out the page! Never download attachments from unknown email senders, in fact do not even open emails from unidentifiable sources.

If you blog, use Face Book, MySpace or any other social web site, be sure not to use your full name and whenever possible - limit any personal information from public view, such as your address, birthday, or cell phone number. Never display your picture along with personal information.

Guard your Social Security Number. Just because there is a space for it on a form, application, or a doctor’s registration sheet, you do not have to supply that information.

You will meet many new people and form new friendships at this stage in life. It is natural for us to want to trust and believe that our new friends are honest and trustworthy, but keep in mind that you do not know everything about them or their friends.

Think this all sounds a bit paranoid? Really, it is not - it is about being responsible in your new adult world. Having to face the consequences of identity theft can be a nightmare and take years to repair. Why risk ruining the best years of your life?

Protecting Your Identity

Posted by: scholar lee at March 19th, 2007

Whether you do your own taxes, or have someone else doing them for you, this is the time of year that most of us organize our ’stuff’ - paperwork, bills, personal files, etc. While we are gathering our 1098-Q’s and 1098-T’s, W-2’s and so on, it is normal to start consolidating files, which includes getting rid of documents, statements and other assorted data that we no longer need, in order to make room for the next year’s incoming paperwork, receipts and other assorted junk.

Discarded documents may contain personal information - ammunition in the hands of identity thieves, unless completely destroyed before you throw it away. Tearing up your documents is not enough. Make sure that those crafty identity thieves cannot piece together any personal information, which they can use to steal your identity and ruin your credit. Purchasing a quality cross-cutting shredder will cost much less than it will to repair your credit record. There are even shredders on the market that will shred your expired credit cards and computer disks containing your personal information.

One more thing - Guard your Social Security Number very closely. Just because a form may ask for it, doesn’t mean you need to comply. Recently, I changed doctors and had to fill out a multitude of forms at my new doctor’s office.

Three of the forms wanted my social security number, which I left blank. After returning the forms, I was called back to the receptionist’s desk - surprise, surprise. I asked why my social was needed, since they had my insurance information and my co-payment, and that I did not give my social security number out unless there was a very good reason. End result - I won. Now that is one less place I have to worry about someone having access to a very big piece of my personal information, or having it end up in a dumpster someday. Never give out your Social Security Number, unless absolutely necessary. Don’t carry your Social Security Card in your wallet, unless y ou need it that day.

Do not allow any clerk to write your social on a check as identification. Never give out your SSN, nor your passwords, mother’s maiden name, date of birth, or other information over the phone, unless you initiated the call and you are absolutely secure about who you are speaking with. Protect Your Identity!

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