Posted: Aug 25, 2010 1:28 PM by Lindsay Clein
Updated: Aug 26, 2010 9:38 AM
As students head back to school the Better Business Bureau recommends they take seven simple steps to protect themselves from ID theft on campus.
Their recommendations include:
1. Getting mail sent to a permanent address such as a parent's home or a P.O. Box
2. Storing important documents like your social security card and bank and credit statements under lock and key and shredding them rather than tossing them
3. Never lending your credit or debit card to anyone
4. Making sure your computer has up-to-date antivirus and spyware software
5. Checking your credit or debit card statements closely for any suspicious activity
6. Checking out companies with the Better Business Bureau while shopping on unfamiliar websites
7. Checking your credit report at least once a year with all three reporting bureaus for any suspicious activity or in-accuracies.
MSU Spokesperson Tracy Ellig says you should also use caution while on computers in public places.
"Another thing students can do is that when they use a computer in a public area for example the library, if they're going to log onto a site that has a password, then when they're done with that session it's good to clear the cash on that browser and close that browser session," Ellig said. "So someone after them wouldn't be able to see their login ID or possibly what their password was."
According to Javelin Strategy and Research's 2010 Identity Fraud Survey, more than 11 million people became victims of identity theft in 2009 and young adults ages 18 through 24 took the longest to detect identity theft.
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