College-age Americans are among the most likely to experience identity theft, a report released Sunday by the Department of Justice said.
The report, a survey of identity theft instances in 2004, said that Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 were the most likely to have their identities stolen.
Students at Mississippi State University have experienced identity theft.
Freshman English major Olivia Lightsie is careful about what information she gives out, she said. “My boyfriend had $500 taken from his account by [online payment company] PayPal, so I’m careful about security and reading my bank statements closely,” Lightsie said.
Upon finding the charges, Lightsie’s boyfriend did some research and was eventually able to have his money refunded, she said.
Associate dean of students Thomas Bourgeois said that having money refunded is often not the end of the struggle.
“Even if the money [is refunded], the damage to your credit report is the main problem,” Bourgeois said. “The unfortunate part is that once [someone’s identity is stolen], the fault of correcting all that lies with [that person].”
Bourgeois said that the university has had to deal with multiple instances of identity theft, although he could not reveal the parties’ names.
“Reports of identity theft have been increasing,” he said. “One student went to buy a truck and found out that he had all this credit fraud on his account. Another student here had gained access to his Social Security number and bought a computer from Gateway with it. The student was eventually tracked down and criminally charged.”
Much of the increase in student identity theft can be attributed to profile-based Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace, Bourgeouis said.
“It’s amazing the amount of information students will put up there, from their cellphone numbers to their addresses to their dates of birth. With those three pieces of information, there are a lot of places [someone] could call and get a computer just with that information.”
Many students are not careless with the way they handle their information. Senior communication major Megan Dareing is careful after an identity theft incident involving a relative.
“My grandmother broke her leg and had to have physical therapy for two months,” Dareing said. “When she got out she found DirecTV charges on her credit card. She had to file a lot of paperwork to get it off of her card. Eventually she found out it was one of the physical therapists who had stolen her Social Security number.”
Since the incident, Dareing is more careful about when she gives her Social Security number and only does so if it is absolutely necessary.
MSU is currently removing Social Security numbers as the student identification numbers and replacing them with nine-digit, non-Social Security numbers in an effort to lessen the chance of identity theft, Bourgeois said.
The recarding of all MSU staff and students will begin this month. To find new student ID numbers, go to MSU’s banner Web and click on Personal Information, then View Your New MSU ID Number.