Identity theft common at American colleges

By Sam Ward

Although identity theft is happening all around, many students believe they are safe.
But according to the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), people in the late-teens to late-twenties are the most targeted group for identity theft. It’s not just from college forms, but also from those “pre-approved” credit card applications.

So what is the college doing to protect students?

Al Sigala, the director of media and public relations at Mt. Hood, said the college is limiting access to personal information online and class schedules.

“Only certain people on this campus have access to student information,” including some people in Student Services, said Sigala.

“If we have a family member come to the campus and request classes [the person] is taking,” said Sigala, “they can’t have that.”

The only information the college can give to the public is whether or not the person is taking classes, their degree, and the name, weight and height of athletes.

The college shreds paper that has personal information, though a third party.

What can students do to protect themselves?

According to the NCPC, one should remove their Social Security numbers from any cards (specifically their driver’s license and school ID cards) and personal checks, as well as put their Social Security card in a secure place other than your wallet, like a safe in your home or a safe deposit box at a bank.

The NCPC also suggests not to give out personal information over the phone or the internet. Students should also be careful of what information they release and who they allow access to their information though websites like MySpace and Friendster. Also, most identity thieves use e-mail to access information by posing as a bank, credit card companies or places like PayPal, and ask one to “verify” their information. Sometimes, the website looks legitimate, but the URL is different. If hovering over the link sends one to a site other than what it says, it’s most likely an ID thief. This is also known as “phishing.”

Try to get to mail as soon as possible, get a locking mailbox or have bills sent to a box at a post office or mailing center like a UPS Store. Most of these mailing centers also accept packages and can sign for packages to be picked up later. This prevents thieves from getting information though the mail.

Destroy credit card receipts, pre-approved credit card applications, bank statements, phone bills and anything else that has information which can be tied to one’s identity.

Credit reports should be checked once a year or immediately if one believes there is unusual activity in their accounts. Credit scores can be checked from the three major credit bureaus for free at www.annualcreditreport.com.

What should a student do if they find out their identity has been stolen?

File a police report, but be sure to have proof of identity, like a driver’s license.

Report the suspicious account or activity to a credit bureau, like Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion, and close that suspicious account. Also, request a fraud alert from any of those credit bureaus, which means anyone can’t open a bank or credit card account or view personal credit history without permission and verifying identity first.

Finally, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. You can do that at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.