Students and Identity Theft: Caution for Those Returning to School

There's nothing an identity thief likes more than a clean slate. A young person with little or no credit is an ideal identity theft victim. After all, credit card companies are eager to extend credit to young consumers. In a few weeks, many of you will be returning to school. As you prepare for the next school year, you will obviously want to prepare with the proper books and supplies for your classes, but you will also want to prepare in other ways. The sooner you know how to protect your identity the less likely you will be to fall into the identity theft trap.

This caution is especially relevant for college students who will not have parents over your shoulder making sure you are safe. The first week or two of class is pretty hectic, registering for classes, buying textbooks, getting to know new roommates, etc. Don't get so overwhelmed that you forget to protect your identity. People will be around distributing credit card and part-time job applications. This is a time when students are especially vulnerable to identity theft. Not everyone on campus will be who they say they are. Take special care if you complete an application.

This is just one example of the identity theft scams and traps out there. I highly recommend you check out the Identity Theft Resource Center. There are numerous articles about scams and identity theft methods and how to avoid them.