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Young Adults Seen As Prime Identity Theft Targets

Group offers basic protection tips to keep students' data safe

July 28, 2008

Parents sending kids off to college need to raise their awareness of identity theft and fraud. It's not enough to give them a laptop, cell phone, books and clean clothes. A cross-cut shredder and a locking box large enough to hold a laptop, loaded with current computer security software, are equally important.

Basic protective measures could be critical steps in protecting your teen's belongings and personal identifying information, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), a nonprofit group that helps victims of identity theft.

Just as senior citizens need to be warned about scams, the group says young adults need to be armed with information about identity theft, scams and other rip-offs they might encounter while living on their own for the first time. The ITRC offers these tips for college students of all ages:

• Keep your Social Security card and number in a locked safe place. Do not carry it with you. Don't share it with anyone without knowing why they need it. Most schools now use a student identification number instead of the Social Security number (SSN). Parents, please note: This may be one factor to consider when choosing a college. Many prominent universities have been hit with data breaches in recent years, where hackers were able to make off with students' personal information, often organized and stored by their SSN.

• Store your laptop in a locking security box when you are not in the room and do not have it with you.

• Use your home address as the permanent mailing address rather than a temporary address used while in school. This will lessen the complications of multiple addresses. Dorm and apartment mailboxes are not always locked and are easily accessible by people who do not have your best interest in mind.

• Obtain and use a credit card and NOT a debit card. Credit cards may be pre-paid or have a low limit, if you so choose. Debit cards are targets for identity thieves. Check your monthly statements as they come in and look for unexplained expenses.

• Never supply a phone, in your name, to someone else, such as a friend or roommate. The reason they cannot get a phone is probably because they have bad credit to start in the first place. The chances of being paid back are slim.

• Never loan a credit or debit card to a friend. Co-signing for any cell phone, utility account, car loan or credit card puts you at major, unwarranted risk.

• Never loan your driver's license or identification card to anyone. They could use it as an ID card when stopped by the police and you will be listed as the offender.

• Finally, check your credit report annually using the free credit reports available at AnnualCreditReport.com. If you have never established credit, you will be told there is no report. If there is a report, check it out and make sure that none of the information is a result of fraudulent activity.

"All parents with teens or college-bound young adults need to make sure that their teens understand identity theft," said Rex Davis, ITRC Operations Director and a parent of two. "I sent my kids to college to help them with their futures. I would be remiss if I failed to educate them about the fastest growing crime today. A college degree doesn't mean much if an identity thief has put your child's credit score in the garbage and affected their ability to get credit or a job."

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