Students fall victim to identity fraud

She became a victim of identity fraud, , when a thief stole her wallet that contained her credit card, driver’s license and passport.

“Nothing will ever buy back the stamps in my passport from my summer travels,” Shannon, Ottawa junior, said. “Honestly, if you are reading this and have my passport, I will do anything for those.”

College students such as Shannon are vulnerable to identity fraud and even worse, identity theft. Identity fraud involves the theft and use of someone’s personal information. Identity theft happens when someone illegally poses as someone else by obtaining information such as a driver’s license number or social security number.

It’s terrifying, absolutely terrifying. Not only did this person screw me over royally in terms of finances and convenience, he put me in a vulnerable position. An unknown person now knows where I live, where I sleep, what health insurance I have, what countries I’ve been to, where I bank and what brand of condom I use.

-Sara Shannon, Ottawa junior
Several students have reported cases of identity fraud to the Lawrence Police in the last two weeks.

Identity fraud can happen easily. The only thing someone would need is another person’s wallet.

Shannon had at least 100 people at her house for a party Aug. 17. She said someone probably took her wallet from her bedroom. After stealing it, the thief spent almost $100 on gas, fast food and lottery tickets.

Someone spent $730 at Wal-Mart and Hastings with a credit card that belonged to Courtney Steffens, Olathe sophomore.

Both girls said the experience scared them. Shannon was so scared of the possibility of the person breaking in that she pushed a couch in front of her bedroom door.

“It’s terrifying, absolutely terrifying,” Shannon said. “Not only did this person screw me over royally in terms of finances and convenience, he put me in a vulnerable position. An unknown person now knows where I live, where I sleep, what health insurance I have, what countries I’ve been to, where I bank and what brand of condom I use.”

Identity fraud victims also face greater risk of identity theft. If someone had another person’s social security information, that person could use it to open new credit card accounts and spend more money. Banks usually cover the amount of money lost for identity fraud but not for identity theft.

Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock, an identity theft protection agency, said identity theft had been the fastest growing crime in America the past seven years. It can be a simple process for thieves. If someone gets another person’s social security card, that person can use it to get credit cards, take out a loan or even buy a house.

Davis said there were two easy ways to prevent the crime.

He said to file for fraud alerts with a credit bureau such as Equifax or TransUnion. These companies keep track of the transactions someone makes. Anytime a person makes a drastic change with their credit, such as applying for a new card or making a large purchase, the credit bureau contacts that person to make sure identity fraud has not occurred.

Secondly, he said to opt out of pre-approved credit card offers that often come in the mail. Students can do that by dialing 888-5-OPT-OUT.

Davis said every student should take those easy steps, especially because people could easily obtain social security numbers. He said students often gave the numbers to doctors, schools and employers. Identity thieves know this and can hack into that information.

“It sounds crazy,” Davis said, “but it’s already out there. I’ll even give you my own social security number, 451-55-5462, because I want people to understand their info is out there.”

Shannon found that out the hard way. Her bank refunded the money she lost, and she changed the locks on all her doors. But she still feels scared.

“This person knows my name and could be stalking me on Facebook and could easily be reading this article,” Shannon said. “I really don’t care about the money.”

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