| If your son or daughter is a recently high school | | | | Further, Mr. Howell advises students to limit the |
| graduate and college freshman, he or she is the ideal | | | | personal information they post online, particularly on |
| target cybercriminals are looking. "Why?" you might | | | | social networking sites, such as MySpace and |
| ask. For cybercriminals the answer is easy and highly | | | | Facebook. Additionally, students should know they |
| profitable. Recent high school graduates and college | | | | can restrict their details or remove themselves from |
| freshmen provide extremely lucrative opportunities | | | | the university's online directory that is available to the |
| for the cybercriminals to obtain their personal | | | | worldwide public 24/7. |
| information. Even before they start their first | | | | Although prevention is the best form of protection, |
| careers, these graduates and college students may | | | | there are several steps students can take to protect |
| be crippled by identity theft. | | | | themselves from cybercriminals. If they suspect that |
| According to the Federal Trade Commission, the US | | | | their identities have been stolen, then they are urged |
| government agency charged with monitoring identity | | | | to call one of the three major credit-reporting |
| thefts and related frauds, identity theft complaints | | | | agencies to place a fraud alert on their information. |
| reported to them from 2003 through 2005, nearly 30 | | | | Doing so will enable them to be contacted should an |
| percent of victims each year were ages 18 to 29. | | | | identity thief tries to use their details. Students need |
| And according to Ms Michelle Boykins, spokesperson | | | | only notify one of the credit companies, Equifax, |
| for the National Crime Prevention Council in | | | | Experian or TransUnion, because the initial company |
| Washington, college students are the prime target | | | | will inform the other two. |
| for these cybercriminals because the students are | | | | Because cyberpredators and other cybercriminals are |
| often just starting to use credit and/or pay bills for | | | | becoming smarter and more sophisticated in their |
| the first time. | | | | operations, they are real threats to your personal |
| Colleges of all sizes are working to protect their | | | | security and privacy and those of your children. If |
| students' identities. Broward Community College, for | | | | you use a computer and are connected to the |
| example, has recently introduced unique personal | | | | internet, your money, your computer, your family, |
| identification numbers for students, replacing their | | | | and your business are all at risk. These cybercriminals |
| Social Security numbers. And campuses are including | | | | leave you with three choices: |
| information about identity theft on their Web sites, | | | | (1) Do nothing and hope their attacks, risks, and |
| at orientation, and in special presentations. | | | | threats don't occur on your computer. |
| The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor lures | | | | (2) Do research and get training to protect yourself, |
| students to an online quiz of security questions with | | | | your family, and your business. |
| a chance to win prizes, including iPods. Mr. Paul Howell, | | | | (3) Get professional help to lockdown your system |
| Chief Information Technology Security Officer, | | | | from all their attacks, risks, and threats. |
| reported that they are always trying to think of | | | | Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and |
| creative and productive ways to engage students. | | | | spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose! |