Keep Your Paws Off: How to Avoid Identity Theft
"Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used
without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes."
Did you know that one-third of identity theft victims are under the age of 30, and the majority are college students?
As a student, you can take special precautions to make sure your personal information doesn’t fall into the hands of would-be thieves. If you live in a community setting, like a dorm, fraternity or sorority, keep your personal papers, such as your birth certificate, Social Security card, transcripts, financial aid paperwork or other documents with personal information, in a fire-proof lock box. These are relatively inexpensive to purchase and available from a variety of stores.
Instead of tossing documents that include sensitive information in your wastebasket, use a cross-cut shredder to destroy them. It’s also a good idea to keep your passwords secret. If you must write them down to remember them, store them in the lock box with your other sensitive items.
Here are a few other tips to help you protect your personal information:
- Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or have your number printed on checks.
- Don’t give out personal information over the phone unless you initiated the contact.
- Don’t use obvious passwords, like your name, birth date or mother’s maiden name.
- Use a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters to create passwords that are harder to guess.
- Be on the lookout for bills that don’t arrive as usual.
- Keep an eye out for charges to your account that you didn’t make.
- Monitor your credit history. Visit www.annualcreditreport.com to get one free copy of your credit report each year from the three major credit reporting bureaus.
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This information presented in cooperation with Oklahoma Money Matters, the financial education outreach initiative of the Oklahoma College Assistance Program. For more information about OKMM, visit www.oklahomamoneymatters.org or call 1-800-970-OKMM.