How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft» College Identity Theft http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com Learn how to protect yourself from identity theft Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:31:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Identity Theft & College Students : What You Should Know http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com/college-students-identity-theft.htm http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com/college-students-identity-theft.htm#comments Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:43:04 +0000 admin http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com/?p=93 College students are already among the most likely victims of identity theft, because they typically have no credit history and are not as likely to keep a close eye on their credit. Among the reasons the identities of college students are so frequently stolen:

Institutional policies: About half of all college students attend schools that use the students’ Social Security number as a student ID number.

Credit card offers: Roughly half of all college students receive at least one credit card offer in the mail each week; many receive them daily. Most college students say they just throw them away without shredding them. They’re also subjected to a barrage of credit card offers on campus, accompanied by offers of free T-shirts and gift cards.

Lifestyle: There are several elements of college life that make students especially vulnerable to identity theft, including; long holiday breaks with mail sitting uncollected; chaotic dorm life; living among strangers; inordinate sense of trust.

Experts recommend that parents talk to their kids about identity theft in the same way they talk to them about drug and alcohol usage, sexuality and safety practices like locking doors.

Each student should have a locking file cabinet and a shredder. They should be warned to avoid credit card offers, use online services to frequently monitor their accounts and review their credit reports regularly.

Whether you’re a college student yourself, or are just someone who’s concerned about a college student, visit LifeLock today to learn more about their identity theft protection services.

]]> http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com/college-students-identity-theft.htm/feed 0 College Identity Theft http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com/college-identity-theft.htm http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com/college-identity-theft.htm#comments Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:56:39 +0000 admin http://www.identityprotectionexpert.com/?p=68 College Identity Theft: A Growing Problem

Most students in today’s world use their computers to access online banking, pay bills, order merchandise, and communicate in just about every other aspect of their lives, too. If personal and account information is stored on the hard drive, the thief has instant access to every information that makes it possible for them to assume the student’s identity. Some have found to have this information leaked via the internet, such as the following incident:

The personal records of over 1,000 current and former students of Southwest Mississippi Community College were made available on the internet due to a computer server crash. This was not an intentional breach. The names, social security numbers, addresses, genders, races and grade point averages were involved. Those who have been affected will be contacted by the college to get assistance with credit monitoring.

The amount of money and time lost by these schools that is used to inform affected individuals is in the thousands. Those who are affected also have to invest money and time into trying to undo any harm done by identity thieves.

College students are at high risk for identity theft. Since they don’t often check their own credit, they are the perfect target for these criminals.

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