Don't let identity thieves steal your future!

I don’t have money, why scammers make me a target for identity theft?

First, they do not steal your money but identity! They use your identity for their financial gain purpose. They hijack your name and every numbers which connected with your identity and it would be seriously jeopardize your next financial life. Finally, they rob your future!

How? With your identity, they able to apply financial product such as credit card, loans by online. And finally you have to responsible for everything they done with your identity not just about money but also name reputation. What happened if you apply credit with bad name reputation? Mostly, the victims of identity theft need much times until months, years to clear everything that the thieves have done to you on frustrating.

If you a student, perhaps easier to be identity target stealing by reason of your personal data available in several places and how students manage their own personal data. Here is college students’ bad habit that could be open door for identity stealing:
  • Credit card applications receive by half of college students on a daily or weekly basis. Mostly the students do not destroy them when they throw card applications out.
  • Almost 1/3 students never reconcile their credit card and monitoring the account balances.
  • 50 % student grades posted list by SSN (Social Security number).
These bad habits will make students become potential target. More, students have many of daily activities that make vulnerable door open wide: 
  • Store personal information in your computer
  • Receive credit card offers in the mail? Do you discard these documents before you shred of them?
  • Using personal computer to buy merchandise or purchase tickets for travel, concerts, or other services.
  • Have a student loan
  • Using personal computer for online banking transactions
  • Using Social Security number for identification?
  • Using a cell phone

Each of these daily activities able to set you being risk as a victim of identity theft by reason of all of that activities need to open your personal information online such as your bank and credit card account numbers, your Social Security number, or your name, address, and phone number. The thieves need all of this kind of information to make money.

Definition of Identity Theft
“Identity theft is a term used that is to refer to fraud that involves someone pretending to be someone else in order to steal money or get other benefits. The term dates to 1964 and is actually a misnomer, since it is not inherently possible to steal an identity, only to use it. The person whose identity is used can suffer various consequences when he or she is held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. In many countries specific laws make it a crime to use another person's identity for personal gain” Wikipedia.

When your identity stolen and used in fraud crime, you not only need to clearing up the damage but your bad reputations will make housing credits, job opportunities, car credit or an education loans and every financial product reject your applications . Even you done nothing in a crime or bad habit in credit but you will suffer severe financial consequences and have responsible of it. Now, I wish you have cleared your mind how bad they can do and how came it gonna be, so be caution.

How to protect yourself?

First, build your awareness of secure about how and when you share your personal information. Tips to safe your credit cards:
  • Do not write your personal information such as CC, SSN and passwords at media that could be read by others, encrypted.
  • Don’t make a password use your date of birth.
  • Destroy all of financial documents or applications before sent them into the trash.
  • Monitoring and review your credit reports and always check your monthly credit card and bank statements for unusual activity.
  • Never share your personal or financial information over the phone or Internet unless you initiated the contact.
  • Save your Social Security card or birth certificate at safety box.
  • If your credit cards get lost or stolen report immediately.
  • Plug a firewall and others securities software in on your computer, especially if you leave your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.
  • Do not download unknown files or click the unknown hyperlinks.
  • Do not install unknown publisher software and others suspicious software. 

Here’s tip when you apply or use student loans:

  • Use caution when using commercial financial aid services over the Internet or telephone. U.S. Department of Education services are free and password- protected. Before deciding to use a for-fee financial aid advice service, visit the Looking for Student Aid site
  • Apply for federal student aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov. After completing the FAFSA online, exit the application and close the browser; any cookies created during your session will be deleted automatically.
  • Don’t reveal your PIN to anyone, even it that person is helping you fill out the FAFSA. The only time you should use your PIN is on secure ED systems.
  • Never give personal information over the phone or Internet unless you made the contact. If you have questions about a solicitation or about your student loan account, call 1-800-4-FED-AID.
  • Federal Student Aid securely stores your information on the National Student Loan Data System.However, if you complete or even request a student loan application from a lender, you may be granting the lender permission to access your file. Before providing personal information to an organization, review its privacy policy.
  • Destroy all receipts and copies of documents with personal information if they are no longer needed.
  • Review your financial aid award documents and keep track of the amounts applied for and awarded
  • Report all lost or stolen student identification immediately.

Social Security Numbers - SSN

You have to care about your SSN safeguarding. You would meet some financial activities that need your SSN such your salary, bank wage and tax reporting purposes, credit check, apply for a loan, rent an apartment, or sign up for utilities. Sometimes, however, they simply want your SSN for general record keeping. You should not give your SSN just because someone asks for it, you need ask them the following questions:
  • Why?
  • How will my SSN be used?
  • What law requires me to give you my SSN?
  • What will happen if I don’t give you my SSN?

Sometimes you must share it for services or benefits you’re looking for but some just an options that you able to change with other identity.

When your identity stolen

First, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus:
  • Equifax:www.equifax.com
    To order your report, call: 1-800-685-1111
    or write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
    To report fraud, call: 1-800-525-6285
    and write: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
  • Experian:www.experian.com
    To order your report, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
    or write: P.O. Box 2104, Allen TX 75013
    To report fraud, call: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
    and write: P.O. Box 9532, Allen TX 75013
  • TransUnion:www.transunion.com
    To order your report, call: 800-916-8800
    or write: P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022.
    To report fraud, call: 1-800-680-7289
    and write: Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

Then close the accounts and report the police.

If you become a victim of identity theft involving federal education funds or suspect that your student information have been stolen, contact:



For more information or to report identity theft that does not involve federal education funds, visit the following sites:



Our society generates an enormous amount of data. Most users of that information are honest, legitimate businesses. But no one, including students, is immune from being a potential victim of identity theft. The financial and emotional consequences of this crime are long term and long lasting. The information provided in this document gives you a number of steps for safeguarding your personal data, and there are many other resources available on the Internet.

You can enrich your information about this subject in here :

Identity theft resource center:Information about scams and consumer alerts, victim resources and other information.

Federal Trade CommissionInformation on protecting yourself against identity theft, forms for reporting identity theft, and other information.

IRS Suspicious e-Mails and Identity Theft Web Page: Information on understanding and preventing identity theft and suspicious e-mails (phishing), or dealing with their aftermath.

United States Postal Inspectors: Information about identity theft of any material that is sent through the mail.

United States Department of Justice:Information on identity theft and prosecution of identity thieves.

Social Security Administration: Information about earnings reported on your Social Security number and takes reports of lost Social Security numbers.

NW3C (National White Collar Crime Center):Information and research so that individuals may become proactive in the prevention of economic cyber crime.