LifeLock for college students: Identity Theft 101
May 1, 2008 – 12:44 pmHere’s how it happens: He walks in the door, drops his backpack on the floor, and drops his mail on the table. Using his Social Security number to get into the university’s portal, he goes looking for his final exam grades. And there, right next to his Social Security number, is a C. Incredibly, he passed Organic Chemistry on his first try.
He clicks on the link for his bank and decides he has enough money in the bank to indulge in an end-of-semester celebration. Just then, his cell phone rings, and he’s out the door to meet up with friends. No need to go by the ATM for cash; he’s carrying his driver’s license, student ID and debit card in his pocket.
What’s wrong with this picture? In less than five minutes, there were six opportunities for identity theft to occur. Not all of them were entirely his fault, but all of them were preventable…and all of them are listed at the bottom of the page.
More than any other age group, it’s the folks 18 to 29 whose identities are stolen most frequently; within that demographic, students get hit the most. A lot of it has to do with student IDs. Many universities use Social Security numbers for student IDs, and roughly half of all grades are posted with those student ID/Social Security numbers.
Blaming the victim is an ugly thing, but students can be pretty sloppy about safeguarding their identities. Their frequent and cavalier internet usage is one of their risky behaviors, but the biggest risk is leaving their stuff laying around. Credit card statements, pre-approved credit card offers, student IDs, driver’s licenses, cell phones—they all get left laying around. Statements don’t get reconciled, so the theft is not only easy, but it can go on for quite a while before it’s detected.
So how does a student tighten up?
- Mail needs to be locked up or shredded. College students get a lot of pre-approved credit card offers, and they are an identity thief’s dream come true.
- It’s not his fault that the university still uses his Social Security number to track him and his grades,
- …but he needs to guard his Social Security number more carefully.
- Because he didn’t log off his online bank site, the next person in the room has immediate access to his financial information.
- He’s using his debit card instead of cash, and debit cards get lost or skimmed with disastrous results.
- If his other cards fall out of his pocket, a thief also has his name, address, date of birth and Social Security number.
