Consumer authorities are warning college students they are the fastest-growing group being focused on id theft. And there are a bunch of good reasons why.
The Better Business Bureau explains that students aren't monitoring their visa or mastercard statements like more mature folks do and they usually take longer to record fraud. Meaning the loss is much bigger.
The BBB said identity theft committed against people age 18 to 24 took about four months on average to detect. The typical student lost over $1,000, which is roughly 5 times above the total lost by other age brackets.
Professionals have these guidelines for college students to handle this issue:
1) Send hypersensitive mail to a parent's home or a post office box. University mailboxes are not always safe and frequently can be accessed easily in a your dorm or apartment.
2) Vital documents should be kept under lock and key. This includes a Social Security card, passport and bank statements. Shred bank card offers and any paper documents that have private financial info as opposed to just throwing them out.
3) Ensure that your computer has up-to-date anti-virus and spy ware software. Always install any updates to your computer's operating system or web browser software, which help keep your computer safe from any new innovations by id crooks online.
4) Always check your charge card statements closely for any suspect activity. The quicker you identify any potential fraud, the less you might suffer in the end.
Use credit monitoring and credit alerts to make sure that your data is secure on the internet. Don't let a rookie IT Department or rogue entity ruin your credit history or scores. Use a recommended service with a proven track record of finding and sending you a signal of any big changes in your credit files so you can catch things early.
The Better Business Bureau explains that students aren't monitoring their visa or mastercard statements like more mature folks do and they usually take longer to record fraud. Meaning the loss is much bigger.
The BBB said identity theft committed against people age 18 to 24 took about four months on average to detect. The typical student lost over $1,000, which is roughly 5 times above the total lost by other age brackets.
Professionals have these guidelines for college students to handle this issue:
1) Send hypersensitive mail to a parent's home or a post office box. University mailboxes are not always safe and frequently can be accessed easily in a your dorm or apartment.
2) Vital documents should be kept under lock and key. This includes a Social Security card, passport and bank statements. Shred bank card offers and any paper documents that have private financial info as opposed to just throwing them out.
3) Ensure that your computer has up-to-date anti-virus and spy ware software. Always install any updates to your computer's operating system or web browser software, which help keep your computer safe from any new innovations by id crooks online.
4) Always check your charge card statements closely for any suspect activity. The quicker you identify any potential fraud, the less you might suffer in the end.
Use credit monitoring and credit alerts to make sure that your data is secure on the internet. Don't let a rookie IT Department or rogue entity ruin your credit history or scores. Use a recommended service with a proven track record of finding and sending you a signal of any big changes in your credit files so you can catch things early.
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