Identity Theft Protection Tips for Students

By David Gutierrez

Identity theft rates are rising universally, with 16.7 million Americans having suffered from it in 2017 alone (8 percent more than a year before). College students, living in unfamiliar environments and having to act fully independently for the first time in their lives, are among those most vulnerable to this danger. Educational institutions are already starting to teach their students the basics of how to defend themselves using all kinds of manuals, like this easy-to-grasp Identity Theft Protection Guide by Andy Michael. But what can you personally start doing today to ensure your safety? Here are a few of the most basic tips.

1. Protect your identification numbers

An average American has many numbers defining who he is: credit and debit card numbers, numbers of driver’s licenses, PINs and so on. But the most important of all of them – and the most sought after by identify thieves – is your Social Security number. Having it compromised can result in no end of trouble, so be very wary when you use it. Only share it when it is absolutely necessary and just if you are entirely sure the reason you are asked to do it is 100 percent legitimate. You may even want to commit it to memory to prevent anybody from ever seeing it.

 

Don’t use public Wi-Fi

Or at least do it with VPN. Public Wi-Fi can be extremely convenient, but it is just as dangerous as well. When you use it, all your actions on the Internet are open for everyone to see, including your email access, what sites you browse and what passwords you use. VPN helps you protect yourself – it creates an encrypted connection, making all your activity invisible for hackers.

3. Don’t overshare

It may be a tough sell for students living an active social life, but disclosing too much information about yourself on social networks can come back to bite you. Dedicated identity thieves often study social media profiles of their prospective victims and bundle information about them for later use. They are especially interested in things that can be used to form security questions (e.g., “Your mother’s birthday” or “Your favorite movie”).

4. Keep an eye on shoulder surfers

Identify theft doesn’t have to use a high-tech approach. Good old shouldersurfing shoulder surfing – i.e., looking over your shoulder when you type in the PIN number at an ATM or enter a password on your smartphone – is often more effective because people don’t associate tech-related dangers with the physical world. Taking into account that students are constantly surrounded by unfamiliar people, this item is especially important.

Be properly paranoid about your private information

Don’t just leave your credit cards, driver’s license and suchlike lying around. Colleges are by definition social places visited by all kinds of people. Your trust in your roommate may already be misguided, but even if he is an impeccably honest person, his friends and acquaintances may be less trustworthy.

6. Protect your devices from malware

Viruses, keyloggers, Trojans, spyware or malware for short can get installed on your device without your knowing it and siphon your personal information to its creators. There are no surefire ways of protecting yourself from it, but you can significantly decrease the likelihood of infection. Use well-reputed antivirus software, refrain from opening suspicious emails, don’t download files from sketchy websites, and you will probably be alright.

Of course, these tips don’t cover all eventualities – but following them can significantly improve your chances of protecting your personal information from identity thieves and frauds. In addition to that, just use your common sense – it is better protection than any number of high-tech tools.

 

David Gutierrez has worked in the field of web design since 2005. Right now he started learning Java in order to get second occupation. His professional interests defined major topics of his articles. David writes about new web design software, recently discovered professional tricks and also monitors the latest updates of the web development.