Identity Theft - What Can You Do?

by Kent Strickland

One of the fastest growing crimes against consumers is identity theft.

A recent Student Tech Monthly Spotlight featured a presentation by Thomas Roberts, ITS security analysts, on “Identity Theft Defense-What Students Should Know.”  Awareness, education and wise habits for dealing with personal information are key elements in curbing this crime.

Over the past five years, 27 million Americans have fallen victim to identity theft (one in every eight people) and 26 percent of those incidents impacted 10 million people in the last year alone-a very disturbing trend.  It’s been estimated that identity theft cost the U.S. economy over $50 billion in 2003, and victims spent nearly 300 million hours trying to resolve the resulting problems.

What can you do?  To begin with:

Use strong passwords on all of your personal accounts.

Secure personal information kept in your home and office.

Shred all documents containing personal information that you must throw away.

Never give out personal information over the phone, internet or by mail unless you’ve initiated the contact and you know who you’re dealing with.

Question unjustified personal information inquires.

Monitor your credit report and resolve any discrepancies.

Leave your social security card in a secure place and avoid carrying it with you.

When going on vacation be cautious about whom you tell.  This could provide opportunities for thieves to break into your home.

Follow up with a company if your bill does not arrive on time.  Your address may have been unknowingly changed.

If you keep or send personal information on your computer, such as credit card or bank account information, make sure you keep that information secure.   Update your computer with the latest security patches, operate and perform regular virus scans, use a good firewall, use strong passwords to protect access, delete unnecessary information and practice good email disciplines. 

Further information may be found at www.bgsu.edu/infosec.