exas ranks in top five for identity theft exas ranks in top five for identity theft College students often worry about tests, work and their free time, but one major problem students don’t usually worry about but should is identity theft. When a person’s identity is stolen, it can take months, and in some cases years, to resolve the problems that theft has caused their financial status. For this reason, identity protection is very important. When students receive credit card applications in the mail, many do not bother to open the mail, and they just recycle the application before destroying it. Many of these applications come with very personal information. It’s best to shred all credit card applications before putting them in the recycle bin. |
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According to the Federal Trade Commission’s website, there were 26,624 people who were victims of identity theft in Texas in 2005. Texas ranks number four in the nation for identity theft, and San Antonio had 1,760 victims. Palo Alto Criminal Justice sophomore Ernest Maldonado was not aware he was a victim of identity theft until he tried to open a savings account. “I couldn’t open a savings account because the bank said I was on the National Hot Check Database,” said Maldonado. He had to talk to the bank administrator and convince her that he was not the person responsible for the accumulation of hot checks. It took him four weeks to process the paperwork to get his financial identity cleared before he was able to open his savings account. Students are often not aware of the numerous ways their identity can be compromised. Besides not shredding information filled applications and documents, e-mailing personal information to a company because you think it’s legitimate and it’s not, can also create problems. In addition leaving college documents out that contain personal information, like your social security number and date of birth, is an invitation to trouble. The fastest growing group of fraud is the 18 to 29 age group, according to the FTC website. This age group has the most victims of identity theft because this age group is used to the fast-paced life of the Internet. Thieves can gather plenty of valuable information about a person through phishing websites. These websites are imitation websites of actual websites, like eBay. Many people cannot tell the difference between these websites because they look so similar. Be really cautious when inputting classified information into a website because the website could be fake. Make sure to report anything you notice suspicious to the actual website. Two of the most common forms of identity thefts are social security number identity theft, where your whole identity is stolen and it takes many years to correct, and financial fraud, where thieves gain access to your finances and money. Technology can play a huge role in identity theft and financial fraud. One new and commonly used way to steal information is with camera phones. While a person is at an ATM taking money out of their account or using it to purchase something, scam artists can capture their credit card numbers in an instant just by using the video or camera function of their cell phone. Palo Alto Economics Sophomore Robert Cerda was a victim of financial fraud. “I kept receiving letters from my bank stating my account was overdrawn,” said Cerda, who believes his identity was stolen while using his credit card. “I do not believe it was computer-related. I feel that when I used my card someone glanced at it and recorded my account numbers,” said Cerda. Because of this, always be aware of who is too close to you while you are using your credit card. Palo Alto is working to safeguard student’s identities from being compromised. One change that has occurred this semester is the use of 10-punch keypads. While at the Financial Aid Office or the Admissions and Records Office, the staff now asks you to input your information on a keypad instead of saying your social security number out loud. Another change coming to ACCD campuses after the Fall 2007 semester is the Banner System. “With Banner, students will be issued a random Banner ID to access their student records instead of their social security number,” said Rachel Montejano, Director of Enrollment Management. And the College has new student IDs as well. “The college no longer prints a student’s social security number on a student ID card. A barcode is used with the social security number hidden,” said Montejano According to Angelita Wolfe, Admissions Clerk II, “When students leave their schedules around, I hold them for a while in case they come back, but I shred them before the day is over.” Students also have to be responsible for their social security number and their personal information. Next time you use your credit card or write your social down, just remember that your identity can be easily stolen. The Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheftcenter.org) has listed 10 ways that you can protect yourself from being a victim:
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