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 older folks do and they take longer to document fraud. Which means the loss is significantly bigger.
The BBB said id theft committed against people age 18 to 24 took around four months usually to detect. The common student lost in excess of $1,000, which is roughly five times more than the amount lost by other age groups.
Experts have these tips for college kids to handle this pattern:
1) Send hypersensitive mail to a parent's home or a post office box. University mailboxes are not always safeguarded and quite often can be accessed easily in a dorm or apartment.
2) Vital documents should be kept under lock and key. This includes a Social Security card, passport and bank statements. Shred charge card offers and any paper docs that have hypersensitive financial details rather than just throwing them out.
3) Ensure that your computer has up-to-date anti virus and spy ware software. Often install any upgrades to your computer's operating system or internet browser software, which help keep your computer protected from any new innovations by id crooks online.
4) Look at your charge card statements closely for any dubious activity. The sooner you identify any potential fraud, the less you'll suffer in the long term.
Take advantage of credit monitoring and credit alerts to make sure that your data is secure. Don't let a rookie IT Department employee ruin your financial and personal security online. Use a recommended service with a proven system for finding and alerting of any major changes in your credit files so you can catch things as they happen.
The Better Business Bureau explains that students aren't monitoring their visa or mastercard statements like older folks do and they take longer to document fraud. Which means the loss is significantly bigger.
The BBB said id theft committed against people age 18 to 24 took around four months usually to detect. The common student lost in excess of $1,000, which is roughly five times more than the amount lost by other age groups.
Experts have these tips for college kids to handle this pattern:
1) Send hypersensitive mail to a parent's home or a post office box. University mailboxes are not always safeguarded and quite often can be accessed easily in a dorm or apartment.
2) Vital documents should be kept under lock and key. This includes a Social Security card, passport and bank statements. Shred charge card offers and any paper docs that have hypersensitive financial details rather than just throwing them out.
3) Ensure that your computer has up-to-date anti virus and spy ware software. Often install any upgrades to your computer's operating system or internet browser software, which help keep your computer protected from any new innovations by id crooks online.
4) Look at your charge card statements closely for any dubious activity. The sooner you identify any potential fraud, the less you'll suffer in the long term.
Take advantage of credit monitoring and credit alerts to make sure that your data is secure. Don't let a rookie IT Department employee ruin your financial and personal security online. Use a recommended service with a proven system for finding and alerting of any major changes in your credit files so you can catch things as they happen.
About the Author:
Part of enhanced identity theft protection is credit monitoring, and you can sign up today on ScoreDriven
No comments:
Post a Comment