College Students At Risk

By J. Crismon
Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Most students enjoy returning to campus at the beginning of the school year. The start of new classes, perhaps the final year school, the friends they missed over the Summer, etc. But one of the things they would not enjoy is becoming the victim of identity theft. College students can be an easy target for identity thieves. Sharing a dorm room and leaving personal items laying around, such as mail or personal files stored on a shared computer, can turn the college life into a life of agony.

I read an interesting news article today about students returning to college and the dangers they may face from identity thieves. You can read the article here, but here's my take on college life and protecting yourself, including some great ideas from the article itself.

If you live on campus, or even if you don't, here are a few tips to keep your personal data out of the hands of thieves and make the school year more enjoyable:

- Have your personal mail sent to your home address rather than your dorm address. This keeps personal information out of the view of prying eyes, including your roommate's. In case there's ever anything of significant importance in the mail, rent a PO box and have your parents forward that mail to that PO box. However, don't use your PO box for general mail. Have that all sent to your permanent address. And, as an added bonus, when the school year is over, you don't have to fill out any change of address forms at the Post Office. Just cancel your PO Box.

- Rather than receiving a check from your parents, have them deposit money directly into your account. This leaves little chance that your check will be intercepted and your funds depleted by someone other than yourself.

- Make sure you keep your personal information off of public and shared computers. Carry a large capacity USB thumb-drive around with you and keep your personal information on that instead. This way your files stay with you, not where they can be accessed by prying eyes. This will also come in handy should your computer be stolen or hacked into as your data, including your valuable homework, will remain safe.

- Keep as little identifying information that an identity thief might be able to use on you at all times. Keep whatever personal identifiers you have with you (Social Security card, birth certificate, etc.) stored in a safety deposit box at the local bank. You might need those now and again, but overall, they should be kept in a secure place and off of your person for safety. And, since they're still in a nearby bank, you can access them when needed.

- For guys, keep your wallet in your front pocket rather than in your back pocket. This is something I personally have been doing since Junior High. It's a lot more difficult for your wallet to slide out of your front pocket than it is from the back. Also, carrying the wallet in your front leaves you less vulnerable to pick pockets. I also have a habit of checking my pockets every time I stand up from a chair, the couch, etc. Make sure you know where your personal items are before you leave anywhere.

- For the ladies, keep your purse within site of you at all times and keep as little identifying information as possible in there. If you plan on going to a party, don't take your purse. Just take what you need, money, etc. and put it in your pockets.

This list is not complete by any means, but the point is clearly made. There are thousands of people attending your school. Several of them live in your dorm, or near your on-campus home. But even more important are the thieves and identity thieves that know you are a college student, that know where you live, and that are waiting to take advantage of you at a moments notice. They'll take whatever they can get. Don't let it be your identity.