Student Identity Theft

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WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT THIS IS A SCAM?

 Online scholarships or loans: There are several online scholarships or loans, which may not be overtly fraudulent. However, the applications for these scholarships or loans often involve personal questions that give scammers all the information necessary to steal your identity, or to sell the information to spammers or marketers. Often, you don’t ‘win’ the scholarship because it’s rarely granted to any applicant, or the amount is so small that it does not offset the cost of identity theft or the spamming. This can also be applied to loan applications.

Social networking sites: You have several online profiles on social networking sites, which ask you to fill out personal information about your family, you friends, your school and your activities. Scammers can steal your identity by looking at your ‘profile’ and using that information to eventually gain access to your identity.


 HOW CAN CONSUMERS PROTECT THEMSELVES?

Make sure to research any organization offering scholarships or loans – ask for references, get a local telephone listing, and ask for lists of scholarships or loans they've awarded, and how often.

Limit the amount of personal information on your social networking profiles. Guard your interaction online to only those people you personally know and can trust.


HOW TO REPORT IF YOU'VE BEEN A VICTIM

Federal Trade Commission (FTC): Contact the FTC (1-202-FTC-HELP) to report a scholarship or loan scam.

Ohio Attorney General’s office: If you’ve been the victim of identity theft via the Internet, you should contact the Ohio Attorney General’s office (800-282-0515).

Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): You may also contact the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. The IC3 is a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center. Complaints submitted to the IC3 cover an array of cyber crime and fraud schemes to include identity theft.

Place a fraud alert on your credit reports and review your credit reports carefully. The alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures before they open new accounts in your name or make changes to your existing accounts. The three nationwide consumer reporting companies have toll-free numbers for placing an initial 90-day fraud alert; a call to one company is sufficient:

Equifax 1-800-525-6285
Experian 1-888-Experian (397-3742)
TransUnion 1-800-680-7289

Placing a fraud alert entitles you to free copies of your credit reports. Look for inquiries from companies you haven’t contacted, accounts you did not open, and debts on your accounts that you can’t explain.

Close accounts that have been tampered with or established fraudulently.

Call the security or fraud departments of each company where an account was opened or changed without your approval. Follow-up in writing, with copies of supporting documents, including your identity theft report.


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For more information on identity theft, visit these Web sites:

Federal Trade Commission – Identity theft

U.S. Department of Justice – Identity theft and Identity Fraud

Identity Theft Resource Center - www.idtheftcenter.org