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You
Have No Idea How Fragile You Are!
March 9, 2004
…Or at least how fragile
your identity is… If someone steals it, you have to clean
up the mess. And you’re a busy college student on a tight
budget — so how would you like to spend months, even years
of your time (and money) clearing up your financial and personal
records? Identity theft strikes the old and young alike, and
is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S.
Facts about identity theft:
- Identity theft occurs when someone uses your name, social
security number, credit card number or other identifying information
without your permission, usually to open new accounts, request
credit, or charge merchandise.
- Victims of identity theft may be refused loans, housing
or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.
- Even if you’ve never opened a credit account, you
could still be an unsuspecting victim if someone gets a hold
of your personal information and opens a new account in your
name. This could ruin your credit record before you even establish
one.
What to do if you’re a victim:
- First, place a fraud alert on your credit reports by contacting
the fraud department of one of the three major credit bureaus
(you can find out what these are at www.consumer.gov/idtheft).
Review your credit report for accuracy and close any accounts
that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
- Next, file a report with the police in the community where
the identity theft took place (you may need a copy of your
report to validate your claims to creditors). Finally, you
should file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).
• Visit www.consumer.gov/idtheft
for more information and help.
Tips for preventing identity theft:
- About once a year, order a copy of your credit report from
each of the three major credit bureaus and check for suspicious
activity.
- If your student ID number is your social security number,
you might consider changing it at the Office of the Registrar
in Mrak Hall. (UC Davis stopped using SSN’s as ID numbers
in Fall 2002).
- If you keep personal identification on computers or make
online purchases, make sure the info is encrypted and the
web sites you’re dealing with are secure.
- Keep and update antivirus software on your computer so
hackers can’t get to it (a free download of Symantec
AntiVirus is available to students through the software site
on MyUCDavis).
• Use a paper shredder for receipts, bank statements
and all other documents that reveal confidential info.
• If you need to send personal identity information
via email, use a secure server—like MyUCDavis, aol.com,
hotmail.com, etc.—instead of email programs like Outlook
or Eudora, which are susceptible to interception.
For more information and advice on identity theft, visit security.ucdavis.edu/id_theft.cfm
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