High schools and universities will open their doors again in the coming weeks. Today’s students are savvier than ever, but still one of the most targeted groups for identity theft. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, 18-24 year olds are at greater risk for identity theft because they take longer to detect fraud – an average of 132 days versus 49 days for those in older age groups. Young adults also tend to have little-to-no credit history, making it easier to create bogus accounts.

Most generally-published identity theft prevention tips apply to young adults as well, but EA USA urges Generation Y to pay close attention to the following advice:

• Carefully review all financial records, including bank accounts and credit reports. Many young adults don’t regularly scrutinize their records, which is one of the main reasons they take longer to detect that they are a victim of identity theft, giving the criminal a longer window of time to commit the crimes.
• Much identity theft still happens the old-fashioned way – with a criminal gaining access to personal mail and documents. Pack a shredder for the dorm to destroy personally sensitive information. Also consider a personal safe to store private documents. Small, portable lockboxes are now generally available at national retailers and are a good way to store financial papers and other documents that include personal information.
• Consider using a Post Office box or having mail sent to a family member’s address. Many students use dorm mailboxes for personal mail, including financial applications and bank statements, but these mailboxes are not secure and raise the risk of someone gaining unauthorized information.
• According to one study, more than a quarter of identity theft victims who knew the source of the crime knew the perpetrator. This is a cautionary tale to be vigilant about personal information and careful about who is allowed access to one’s life – both in the real and virtual world. 
• Avoid using peer-to-peer file sharing programs, which are popular targets for identity thieves.
• Do not over share on social media. While common, it is also dangerous. In addition to the well-known tips of adjusting the privacy settings on social networking sites and not sharing personal information (address, date of birth, social security number, etc.), young adults should also:
  • Refrain from accepting friend requests from someone not known personally, such as a “friend of a friend.” Criminals pose in this manner to gain access to a personal network. Once in the network, they can learn much about that person and use the information maliciously (sending harmful links, posting pictures with malware, etc.).
  • Ensure friend requests are coming from people known in real life and that the requests are actually coming from those people. When receiving a request from a “real” friend, verify it. Call or email that person to confirm. Check the profile information to make sure it matches that person and be suspicious of profiles that are “bare-bones” with basic information.
  • Show extreme caution with “getting to know you” quizzes on social media sites. Thieves use this popular pastime to obtain key information to hack into a financial account. What might appear to be benign questions often give the criminal the information needed to answer security questions and access one’s account.
• Lock dorm room at all times and don’t let unknown individuals into the dorm building.
• Keep personal computers secure, making sure the computer is inaccessible without a password, operating on a secure wireless network and behind a firewall. Be just as vigilant with portable media devices that may contain sensitive information such as USB keys and DVDs. Don’t leave them lying around with sensitive information, and completely destroy any data on them when disposing.
• If using a public computer in a library, the dorm, etc. be sure to clear the cookies upon leaving the computer and don’t check the “keep me signed in” box on any site. In general, it’s best not to visit financial or other sites, where personal information is stored, from public computers.
• Finally, given the number of data breaches at universities over the past few years, students should also inquire about school data storage policies. So far this year, 42 data breaches have occurred involving educational institutions affecting a little more than half a million student records. Sometimes schools post student grades by social security number or use students’ social security number as their ID number. If the university, or anyone else for that matter, asks for a social security number, ask why and how they plan to use it.

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