Warning students about ID theft

Susan Simpson

Jul. 17, 2008 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- College students are prime targets for theft of identifying information and personal belongings like laptops, say security experts.

Many are away from home for the first time, and may be careless about locking up their electronics, shredding mail or giving out information like Social Security numbers.

"College campuses are ripe with personal information -- hackable data," said Mike Prusinski, a former Oklahoman who is vice president of communications for LifeLock, a Phoenix company that provides an automated credit monitoring service.

'Perfect targets'

"Thanks to the size of college campus record systems -- some holding records for upwards of several hundred thousand students and faculty members and school alumni -- these school systems are the perfect targets."

Two months ago, a breach of a computer server at Oklahoma State University exposed names, addresses and Social Security numbers of about 70,000 students, staff and faculty who bought parking and transit services permits in the past six years.

OSU officials said they hadn't completed a plan enacted after a similar breach in 2005 to start tracking students by eight-digit student identification numbers.

Some services can help

LifeLock services cost about $10 a month for individuals. Prusinski called that a minimal investment for peace of mind.

"ID theft is a crime of money, time and frustration," he said. "If you become a victim, you could lose money, but you will lose time. That time cleaning the mess will have to come through the day, and for a student, time away from class."

Computrace is one company offering laptop tracking and recovery software.

Marketed as LoJack for Laptops, the service claims to track Internet connections to find lost or stolen computers with the help of local authorities. The software starts at about $40.

"If a laptop computer gets lost or stolen, not only is a student faced with having to pay the cost of replacing the hardware, which can be expensive, but also soft assets such as music files, computer programs, personal data and schoolwork," said company spokesman Walter Ocner.

Dell also offers a group of services for its business laptops that will not only track stolen or missing notebooks, but also provides a range of security features that can remotely erase data from a computer's hard disk drive.

A low-tech approach

Paper and card shredders are a low-tech method for students to ward off identity theft. Along with bank statements and bills, college students get lots of credit card offers in the mail, many pre-approved and containing personal information.

University of Oklahoma police advise students to shred or tear up charge receipts, credit card applications, insurance forms, physician statements and any documents containing their Social Security number.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0148-26722314