If you are one of the hundreds of thousands of teens who are off to college this month, you should be aware that moving out of your home and into the dorm can make you a prime target for identity theft. Thinking about identity theft is probably fairly low on your priority list as you settle into your new life as a college student, but you need to take some basic steps to make it hard for scammers to access your personal information.
One of the most important things you have at college is your laptop computer, right? But it can also be an open door for an identity thief to steal your personal information. Speaking of an open door, the first line of defense is to lock your dorm room door when you’re not there! You should also physically secure your laptop when you don’t have it with you. Get a security lock or cable at the same time you buy the laptop. Dorms are an easy target for thieves looking for expensive electronics, so make your laptop something they’ll pass up because it’s too hard to snatch up and carry away. And when you have your laptop with you, keep an eye on it! If you have a car, don’t leave it in plain sight.
Once you’ve physically secured your computer, make sure the information on it is protected. Use a firewall (especially if you are using a wireless router) and an anti-virus program, keep them up-to-date, and don’t share your password with anyone. Don’t stay signed on if you’re not around, and don’t have your computer “remember” your site log-ins and passwords. Although it’s a pain to keep changing passwords, you should do it frequently, and your password should be hard to figure out. It definitely shouldn’t be your birthday, your address, or your Social Security Number!
Social networking and file sharing are part of life for today’s college students. They are a popular way to connect with friends, share music, movies and videos, and exchange information. But what students see as their cyber community, identity thieves and scammers see as an opportunity to find easy targets. You may think your computer doesn’t have any important personal information on it, but you might be surprised. If you’ve bought something online with a credit card, filled out financial aid forms, set up online banking, or responded to any kind of application that requires personal information, there may be more information accessible on your computer than you realize. File sharing and online links can leave your computer open to malware that will steal that personal information from your computer files – and possibly infect your friends’ computers, as well. So take steps to configure your peer-to-peer file sharing programs securely, don’t put personal information out on Facebook, MySpace, or any other social network you belong to, and don’t click on links you get in emails or banner ads.
Finally, here are a few low-tech security steps to take (besides locking your door!). Get a small safe to store your wallet and other valuables, and that includes paperwork that has your personal information on it. If you get credit card applications in the mail, don’t just toss them in the trash. Shred the application page that has your name and address on it, so somebody else can’t apply and pretend to be you. If you don’t have a computer of your own, be careful when using public computers at the library, classroom or a cyber cafe; they may be infected with spyware.
A few small steps may help you avoid being one of the growing number of 18-29-year-olds who are victims of identity theft. To learn more about what you can do to protect yourself, go to www.onguardonline.gov, a site that provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information. You can also find helpful information at the Federal Trade Commission Web site, www.ftc.gov.
