Back to School Tips for Keeping Your Identity Safe

As students get ready to head off to school, perhaps for the first time, it’s important to keep in mind that just because someone is your roommate, it doesn’t mean they’re immediately your trusted friend. An FTC report from earlier this year shows that there were almost 12,000 victims of ID Theft under the age of 19 in 2013. We’ve previously addressed tips for protecting yourself from ID Theft (and we’re certain that most people have heard the basics like ‘don’t save your social security number on your computer,’ ‘don’t share your passwords,’ and ‘don’t leave credit cards lying around’ dozens of times).

Here is a pair of non-traditional tips that incoming students may not consider:

• Empty your pockets when you’re doing laundry- For many, dorm living is the first time that they have to do their own laundry. Make sure that important documents (driver’s license, student ID, etc) don’t end up stuck in the spin cycle.

• Don’t let sticky fingers ruin your day- While it’s nice to think of the community spirit of dorm life, the reality is the some folks are a little less scrupulous than others. Here’s a great article on protecting your devices.