Why are students particularly at risk for identity theft? Mainly because their credit records are mostly blank, which means they can be easily used to secure new credit. Identity thieves know this and so are specifically targeting students for identity theft.

Five most common ways that college students leave themselves open to identity theft:

1. Living on campus in dorms or with roommates.
2. Ordering clothes, books, movies, lava lamps, ping pong balls, or any other merchandise over the Internet.
3. Throwing away credit card offers without shredding them into a million pieces.
4. Being careless with student loan pin numbers and documentation.
5. Using cell phones to talk about things that might be useful for an identity thief to hear.
6. As long as you do any of those things — and we’re willing to bet that you do — you’re raising your chances of being a victim of identity theft.

How to Prevent College Students Identity Theft

If you’re going away to school for the first time or returning for another year, it’s extremely important to take certain precautions to keep your identity and money safe.
Here are a few tips to help you prevent identify theft.

Set a password on your computer, lock your computer when away from it.

This is easy to do, and it will deflect most common computer users. Although, if your computer is stolen by a decent computer hacker, they’ll be able to get past the screen saver password so don’t store passords to your online bank accounts or other sensitive information on your computer. Make sure that you never leave your computer unattended in public such as the library, student union, or cafeteria. When you leave your laptop in your dorm room you could even stash it out of plain site.

Avoid revealing too much personal detail on social networking sites.

Every piece of information that identity thieves can gather about you is another clue to stealing your identity.  Seemingly harmless pieces of information individually (birthday, address, phone number, etc) can add up over time and eventually make you a victim of identity theft.

Not only is this good for your security, but can also protect your future career. Remember, everything you post on Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace could end up being seen by the wrong people at the wrong time. Use social networking wisely, and don’t post pictures that might compromise your reputation or give off the wrong idea about you.

Don’t let anyone borrow your credit or debit cards.

This might not sound like something you’d ever think about doing, but you’ll be running across dozens of “mooches” at school. They might ask you, “Hey man, can I just borrow your card to order a pizza, I’ll give you the cash”, but don’t trust them unless you are really close to them. Don’t give out your credit card number or debit card number to anyone, write it anywhere, or store it anywhere on your computer.

Don’t open a tab on your credit card and forget it.

I’ve never done this, but I’ve come close! You never know who might be working behind the bar and if they’ll abuse your card if you leave it there overnight. Make sure your designated driver reminds everyone to close out their tabs. If you’re walking home or taking public transportation, write a note on your hand to remind yourself.

Call right away if credit card stolen or lost.

Do not wait until the next morning if you think you lost or had your credit card stolen. Credit card companies have 24 hour customer service, and it will be much easier on yourself and the credit card company if you report it right away. Even if you end up finding it a couple of days later, it’s better safe than sorry, and you’ll receive a new card usually within a week.

You aren’t personally responsible for an unauthorized credit or debit transaction, but you can make a much stronger case that it wasn’t you if you report it as soon as you think it’s been lost or stolen.

Don’t keep cash in your dorm room, use debit card instead

Identity theives take your identity so they can steal money.  If you just leave your money lying around, they can just skip the identity part and go right after your cash. It’s not that you don’t trust your roommate (or maybe you don’t), but when you aren’t there, your roommate could be bringing in all kinds of people to the room that you’ve never met before. It’s always a good idea to keep your cash on you or better yet, use a debit card for most transactions.

Stop identity theft with identity theft protection services

Identity theft protection services (such as LifeLock) that aim to stop identity theft from happening in the first place by setting fraud alerts on your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus, meaning a lender must take the extra step of calling you to verify your identity before processing a new application from you. Learn how LifeLock identity theft protection services can stop,protect and keep your identity safe and secure.

LifeLock Free Trial Coupon – Click Here