With the arrival of Labor Day weekend comes the official end of summer, and millions of students – from eager freshmen to seasoned seniors – will head back to colleges and universities across the nation, if they have not left already. While most will be thinking of what classes to take and majors to choose, one lesson that should be taught to students while at school is how to avoid identity theft.
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) – a nonprofit, nationally respected organization dedicated exclusively to the understanding and prevention of identity theft – various studies, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) complaint study, reveal that the 18- to 29-year-old age bracket continues to account for almost one-quarter (24 percent) of all identity theft complaints. Unfortunately, this “identity theft vulnerable” age bracket usually coincides with the years in which individuals do the following for the first time:
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Move away from home & family;
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Attend schools with thousands of NEW classmates (i.e. strangers);
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Rent apartments and housing;
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Open individual bank accounts;
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Receive first credit & debit cards;
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Travel without supervision;
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Apply for employment; and,
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Purchase first “big” ticket items such as cars and homes.
Now imagine trying to successfully accomplish all of these “major firsts” of life after suffering from identity theft, the fastest growing type of crime in America?
According to the 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report released by Javelin Strategy & Research, the number of identity theft and fraud victims has increased almost one-quarter (22 percent) in the past year to affect nearly 10 million adults in the United States. Identity theft and fraud – defined as the unauthorized use of another person’s personal information to achieve illicit financial gain – can strike anyone, anywhere, and at any time, but students and young adults are at a particularly vulnerable time in their lives and identity theft could lead to more problems later on in life.
In order to help prevent identity theft and other scams they might encounter while living on their own for the first time, the ITRC offers several identity theft prevention tips for college students, including:
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Keep Social Security Card or Social Security Number (SSN) – the most desired information in identity theft – in a safe place. Do not carry it.
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Don’t share SSNs with anyone without knowing why they need it. Schools should use student identification numbers instead of the SSNs.
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Safely store laptop containing personal information when not in use.
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Be wary of identity theft exposure while on social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube & Twitter.
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Never loan a driver’s license or identification card to anyone. They could use it as an ID card when stopped by the police.
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Once credit has been established credit, check credit reports annually for signs of identity theft.
By avoiding the harsh lesson of identity theft, sudents will get a better start on their next stage in life: work. Since students will eventually have to find employment after graduation, they will most likely also have to pass a pre-employment background check since over 80 percent of U.S. businesses now perform such background checks on prospective employees. Employers usually run criminal background checks and sometimes check credit reports, so students nearing graduation may want to get a leg up on the competition by performing "personal" background checks on themselves.
Learning what a potential employer will see in a background check before they see it helps the student turned jobseeker along the path to employment. At the same time, personal background checks can also detect criminal identity theft, such as when one person commits a crime in another person's name, and helps keep personal information up-to-date, accurate, and secure.
MyBackgroundCheck.com is a leading supplier of consumer requested "personal" background checks that individuals use as students, jobseekers, renters, volunteers, and consumers who want to avoid identity theft. For more information on how personal background checks can fight identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
The results of a recent sample of criminal background checks on prospective church volunteers show the need for churches to remain on guard in protecting their congregations against workers with criminal pasts.
According to an article posted online at The Birmingham (AL) News, an agency that conducted 5,000 background checks for 450 churches found serious felonies in 80 cases and more than 600 people – almost 1 in 8 – that had some criminal history that may disqualify them from working at a church.
For example, the article reports that the Westmont Baptist Church in Birmingham – which supported a resolution adopted by the Southern Baptist Convention in 2007 that urged churches to perform criminal background checks on employees – has a policy in place that even volunteers that work with youth down through preschool cannot work as a volunteer unless they pass the background check. According to the story, the church began using a background check service two months ago and already has declined security clearance to a potential volunteer because of information found during a background check.
The churches that have taken part in the background check program are not all Southern Baptist, the article reports, and the statistics did not include geographical or denominational breakdowns. Overall, according to the report, while only a small percentage of churches even do minimal background checks, the message is getting out to churches about the importance of background checks.
The results of the background check program reported in the article shows that any organization – even if it is a church – must take steps to ensure the safety and security of its members and the community. MyBackgroundCheck.com – a leader in consumer requested and applicant supplied background checks – offers a Volunteer Tracking System (VTS) to help non-profit organizations manage risk at minimal costs.
For more information about how the Volunteer Tracking System (VTS) helps volunteer organizations like churches, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com/Business/Volunteer, fill out a "Request More Information" form, call 1-800-503-2364, or complete a Volunteer Screening and Risk Management Nonprofit Organization Survey. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit http://www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!
With only weeks left in the summer vacation, and another year of school set to begin in the fall, a recent survey finds that college students may be putting their parents at risk when it comes to identity theft.
The Campus Security Survey of 1,000 college students and an equal number of parents – conducted by uni-ball pens and the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) – revealed that less than a quarter (21 percent) of students interviewed were concerned about identity theft, while nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of parents believed students were at moderate-to-high risk for identity theft.
According to college security expert Robert Siciliano, students who ignore their own personal security are not only putting themselves at risk for identity theft, but also their parents as well. It is a common practice among college students to use their parents’ names, bank account numbers, and other personal information to co-sign loans and leases, write tuition and housing checks, and register online to receive grades. When identity theft occurs, the parents’ personal data – not students’ – is compromised.
While nearly all (89 percent) parents said they had discussed safety measures with their students before they left for school, some warnings have fallen on deaf ears. The students’ lack of concern over identity theft is evident from the finding that 40 percent said they provided their social security numbers online.
According to the ITRC, 30 percent of all identity theft complaints come from 18- to 29-year-olds.
MyBackgroundCheck.com offers consumers "personal" background checks of themselves to keep their personally identifiable information (PII) secure and accurate. To learn how personal background checks help stop identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!