The start of a new school year is upon us. This means college students statewide are heading to campus with their computers, mobile devices, and personal documents. Any of those items in the wrong hands could give an identity thief the tools to steal a student’s identity.
The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection urges students to study up on ways to minimize the threat of identity theft. This is because an identity thief can damage a victim’s credit and tax records, severely hindering the victim’s ability to land a job, buy a car, or secure student loans. Not to mention identity theft costs consumers millions of dollars in fraudulent charges each year, and a victim’s recovery can take years and cost thousands of dollars.
According to DATCP, personally identifiable information (PII) that can be used to steal and reuse your identity includes any combination of the following: your name, address, phone number, date of birth, ATM pin codes, Social Security number, mother’s maiden name and financial account numbers. Documents that contain these sensitive elements should be locked away or shredded when they are no longer needed.
Here are the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection’s tips for students to protect their identity this school year:
Don’t:
- Carry your Social Security card in your wallet.
- Shop online or pay bills on a public computer, through an unsecured website, or on an unsecured Wi-Fi network.
- Give solicitors any personal financial information or your Social Security number.
- Post personal details on social media.
Do:
- Keep your room locked and keep documents containing PII out of sight, preferably in a lockbox.
- Make sure that your devices are set to require a passcode or fingerprint to login.
- Shred pre-approved credit card offers and any unnecessary bills and paperwork that contain PII.
- Put mail directly in U.S. Postal Service mailboxes instead of unsecured campus mailboxes
For additional information or to file a complaint, visit the Consumer Protection Bureau at datcp.wisconsin.gov, call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-422-7128 or e-mail [email protected]. Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wiconsumer or on Twitter: @wiconsumer.